


Bin ich der Jäger oder die Beute

by total_wrecker



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Abuse, Dark Character, Human Trafficking, M/M, Multi, Rape/Non-con - Freeform, dark!Jean, dreamwidth fill, titan shifters exist though, will have happy ending though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-18
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-01-16 04:54:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 28
Words: 177,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1332670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/total_wrecker/pseuds/total_wrecker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marco is in an abusive relationship with Jean, but stays because of a promise he made, hope of bringing back the kind Jean he knew when they were younger, and he believes that Jean is the only one who he can trust.</p><p>Eren, after an encounter that Marco is certain was only a dream, is determined to keep Marco safe and to keep him from breaking completely.</p><p>When Marco encounters Eren again, he begins to question whether or not Jean can truly change for the better... but can it be before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a fill i'm doing for this prompt: http://snkkink.dreamwidth.org/8414.html?thread=7196382#cmt7196382  
> I was originally posting this on dream width, but I was having problems with the character limit per post. So I made a AO3 account to put it on here instead... there will be corrections for typos that I noticed were in what I posted before.  
> I do ship JeanMarco, but out of need for Dark!Jean, which is undersupplied as I found out, I decided to fill it. I am going to eventually head in a ErenMarco direction, since Marco needs more ships beside him and Jean.

“Mmm, Marco, you feel so good …” Marco felt Jean’s hand grip his hair tighter as he pressed up against him on the bed.

_Just let him have his way. It will hurt less._

Jean’s fingers crept down to Marco’s pajama bottoms and pulled at them, creating tears at the seams. Jean pulled away from Marco, smiling, and simply said, “Time to get rid of these.” With extremely rough movement, he pulled Marco’s pants, along with his underwear, down. Fully exposing him to the light air flowing in the room.

_Don’t tell him to slow down, it’ll be all over soon._

Marco’s legs were then yanked up roughly and he was pulled further down the bed. Not thinking, Marco turned quickly and tried to pull away. As soon as he did, he realized his mistake.

_Shitshitshitshitshit-_

When he pushed himself up and turned back to Jean, a swift slap made contact with Marco face, knocking him over. As soon as Marco was down, Jean was over him, pinning him down with one hand. His face, which earlier giving him that cocky smile he was familiar with, was now filled with the one thing Marco dreaded most. Rage.

“What the hell was that about, Marco?”

“J-Jean, I’m sorry-”

“YOU BETTER FUCKING BE. ALL I EVER WANTED WAS YOU, AND I CAN’T EVEN GET YOU TO LOOK AT ME?”

“Jean, please-” another slap was inflicted. Marco pulled his hands out of Jean’s grasp in an attempt to shield himself. “I’M SOR-”

“YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!” Jean hollered as he curled his hand into a fist and punched Marco in the face. “YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!!” Marco felt hot tears sting his eyes as Jean kept hitting him.

Eventually, the hitting stopped and Marco hesitantly looked to Jean. “Jean,” Marco quietly whimpered, “I’m sorry.” Jean stayed quiet while glaring at him, making it clear to Marco that Jean was still furious. Jean moved his hands to his pants and started to undo his belt. Marco felt his stomach drop while watching Jean. “Please-” As soon as Jean was done getting his clothes off, he grabbed Marco’s wrists and used his belt to bind them together.

“Be. Quiet.” Jean snarled. Marco stared at Jean as he spread Marco’s legs apart, positioning himself.

_Oh god._

“Wait Jean, can we at least do some prepar-”

Jean inflicted another punch before growling “I SAID BE QUIET.” Not wanting to make things worse than they already were, Marco bit his lower lip, drawing blood. Jean didn’t care that Marco’s lips were bleeding, so he greedily pushed himself into Marco.

-

As soon as Jean had spent himself in Marco, he pulled out and put his arms around him. “See?” He happily hummed, “Wasn’t so bad after all.” Marco nodded, not wanting to make Jean angry again. “I’ll be going on a trip with a few coworkers of mine over the weekend, so you have to stay in the house, kay?” Marco didn’t answer. Jean gripped Marco’s jaw and made him look at him.

“Answer.”

“Y-yes, I’ll stay inside.” Jean released his hold before getting up.

“I’ll be back before our anniversary for our relationship,” he said with no emotion in his voice.

“Alright…”

_Our anniversary… our relationship…_

Marco watched as Jean put his clothes back on, spotting an all too familiar scar on his back, since they were kids…

\--

_“OW!” Marco looked up from the book he was holding as Jean crashed down from the tree he was climbing, straight onto the rock right beneath it._

_"JEAN!!”_

_“Oww…”_

_“Are you alright?” He ran over to check on Jean and saw red staining the back of his shirt. “You’re bleeding!” Marco grabbed Jeans hand and pulled him up. “We need to get a band-aid!”_

_“I doubt a band-aid would help…” Jean said while wincing at the pain._

_“Just come on!” They both went into the house that they called home._

_“Miss Miller! Jean’s hurt!” No answer. “Miss Miller?” Marco led Jean to a chair that was in the kitchen before taking off to look for Miss Miller. He saw her sleeping on the couch, with very noticeable shadows under her eyes. Deciding not to wake her, he went to the bathroom, grabbed the first aid kit they kept there and headed back to the kitchen. “She’s taking a nap. I guess Nike and Tyler kept her up last night.” He took the antiseptic out and motioned Jean to take off his shirt. Jean lifted it up and showed the injury that he had gotten. It wasn’t deep, but it seemed rather torn. “I’ll do my best, OK?” As soon as he finished applying the antiseptic, he took out the gauze and wrapped it around Jean’s chest._

_“Ha ha, I’m gonna look like a mummy.”_

_“I think mummies were wrapped up completely.”_

_“Oh yeah?”_

_“Yep, my mom told me before she died…” The air became very tense when Marco mentioned his mother._

_Jean faced away before asking, “She… was in an accident right?”_

_“Mm-hm.”_

_“And your dad’s dead too…”_

_”Yeah, but I can’t really remember him… mom said he loved us though…”_

_“And they didn’t want to leave you.”_

_“… I guess…”_

_“… Marco?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“You wont leave me, right? Not like my parents?” Jean asked, his voice starting to crack. Marco finished putting on the gauze before replying._

_“Your parents left you cuz they were selfish. I love you, and I’ll stay as long as you want.”_

_“… Even… forever?”_

_"Even forever.”_

_“Promise?” Jean held out his pinky finger for Marco. Marco smiled and curled his pinkie with Jean’s._

_"Promise.”_

\--

“Marco?” Jean turned to look at Marco before heading out the door. “Hm? Oh, sorry! I was just remembering something from when we were kids… the first year we lived together at the orphanage…”

“Hn.”

_Why am I remembering that?_

Jean suddenly walked back to the bed and held Marco in an embrace that was very gentle, much more than before. “I love you so much babe, thank you for staying with me.” Marco hugged him back.

“I love you too.”

“Although you do need to respond better, or that pretty face of yours might actually scar.”

“Y-yes…” Planting a kiss on his lips, Jean got up and left, closing the door. Leaving Marco alone.

When he heard the car outside drive away, Marco tried to get up and go to the bathroom, but stopped when pain shot up from the base of his spine. He hesitantly moved his hand to touch his entrance and winced when his fingers grazed at his rim. When he brought his hand up, he saw the blood on his fingertips. Marco looked at the bed sheets, seeing that they were stained with blood and semen. Unable to hold back his emotions anymore, he started to cry.

“Why? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!” He collapsed onto his side, and buried his face into the pillow. “I PROMISED I WOULD STAY WITH HIM! AS LONG AS HE WANTED! EVEN AFTER HE LEFT HOME!! DID I BREAK THAT PROMISE?!” He continued to scream until his throat became too sore. He felt his exhaustion finally overtaking him as he sobbed quietly.

“Did… I… break it…?”


	2. Chapter 2

Marco’s eyelids fluttered as he heard the faint pattering of rain against the window. He looked to the other side of the bed to see if Jean was there. It was empty, leaving him confused for a moment, since Jean usually slept in when he was home.  
  
 _Oh, he left for his trip. Now I remember._  
  
Marco slowly got up, still hurting from before. It didn’t hurt as much though. He stood up and looked at the sheets. They were still stained. Marco sighed, wondering why he was expecting the stains to be gone in the morning. He started to look for something to wear. Pulling the nightstand’s drawer open, he fished out a pair of black boxers and a grey shirt. While pulling his boxers on, his eyes fell to the ruined pair that sat on the floor, along with his pajama bottoms. Jean had ruined the top part for the pajamas before, when Marco accidentally burned dinner. He tore it off before he tried to use his lighter to burn Marco’s chest, but Marco had somehow made Jean change his mind not to.   
  
 _That’s the third set of pajamas I bought this month. Why do I even bother buying them?_  
  
Pulling the shirt over his head, he bent down to pick what were more or less rags now and tossed them into the trashcan. The garbage truck wasn’t coming until Tuesday, and that was going to be after Jean came back, so he wouldn’t have to worry about going out. He then turned his attention to the bed and proceeded to take the sheets out. He took them to the bathroom, where the washer machine was. As soon as Marco entered, his eyes met his reflection on the mirror, which was shown as a face with a bruise starting to form and cut lip. He tore his gaze away and quickly threw the sheets into the washer and started it before proceeding to leave.  
  
Just before he was out, his elbow accidentally knocked over a framed photo that was sitting on the counter. He jumped when he heard the glass shatter. “Oh, oh god…” He bit his lip as he started to pick up the broken glass, trying not to cut himself.   
  
 _What should I do, if Jean find out I broke something… If I just find one that looks exactly… No, that won’t work, he’ll notice, then he’ll know I went outside. You remember what happened the last time you went out when he told you not to._  
  
He shuddered as soon as he recalled his punishment.  
  
Figuring that the choice that would result with the least anger would be not to go out and get a new frame, he made sure all of the glass was off the floor. His fingers brushed the photo that was once held in the frame. Marco picked it up and examined it. It was from when they were still at the orphanage.  
  
\--  
 _  
“Marco?” Marco, who was 8 years old, looked up from the picture he was drawing and saw Miss Miller standing at the doorway. A boy with grey-blonde hair on the top of his head stood by her, facing down. “This is Jean, he’s going to double with you in your bedroom, alright?”_

_Marco smiled at her and said, “Alright.” Miss Miller nodded before a crash was heard down the hall. She patted Jean’s shoulder, nudged him into the room before dashing down the hallway. “That’s probably Nike and Tyler again, they always find trouble somehow.”_

_“_ _Oh…” Jean simply looked away and walked over to the bed before lying down._

_“Ahh… Is there anything I can get you? Water maybe? I have some chocolate stashed around here. Oh, but don’t tell Miss Miller, I’m suppose to share with everyone if I have chocolate. It’s from a week ago. We had a birthday party and we had some chocolate. I managed to sneak some for myself, and I’ve been saving it.” He dug an unwrapped piece that he hid in bookshelf out and offered hit to the boy on the bed. Jean looked at it with hungry eyes and slowly took it from him._

_“…Thanks…” Jean quietly ate it, then suddenly asked, “What happen to yours?”_

_Marco blinked. “Huh?”_

_“Your parents, you don’t have any, and that’s why you’re here. What happened to them?”_   
  
_Marco chewed his lower lip before answering. “They died. Not together, my dad died before my mom.” Marco gripped at his shirt. Jean sat up on the bed before speaking._

_“… Mine left me. Not dying left, I mean going away left.” Marco blinked and let go of his shirt, looking at Jean, who started to grip at the blankets. “I-I just woke up, a few weeks ago, and they were gone… I thought at first that they went t-to the store and left me so I could sleep, but after a few hours, I noticed that both cars were still in the driveway…” Jean started to cry, and wiped away the tears with his sleeve roughly. Marco sat down next to him and pulled him into a hug.  
_  
 _\--_  
  
Marco brushed his thumb against the Jean in the photo. He was holding the photo Marco, who was 11 at the time, by the arm, while eating some fruit he snuck out… or thought he did. Miss Miller caught both of them with her camera. The picture was taken the year Jean left for the central part of the city Jinae.  
  
 _\--_  
  
 _Jean was carrying two bags to a bus stop while Marco watched. “You’re… really leaving, aren’t you?” Marco asked, his voice low._

_“Yeah, so?”_

_“… You don’t want me to come with you?”_

_Jean looked back at Marco. “… I’ll be fine. I’m just going to a new place cuz I got an offer from some guys who I met at the park. I’ll still get an education and stuff, everything Miller was afraid of me not getting when I first told her.”_

_“She’s worried about not being there for you if something happens, and I am too.”_

_“Hah?” Jean groaned and ran his had through his hair. “Marco, I’m not defenseless. I beat you the other day during our self-defense class.”_   
  
_Marco looked down at the ground, and Jean set his bags down and grabbed his hand. “Look… even if I leave… If I come back to you… you’ll…” Jean clasped Marco’s hand both of his before finishing, “You’ll still be there for me right? You’ll stay with me?” Marco nodded, then placed his forehead against Jean._

_“Yes, I promised you I’ll stay with you as long as you want, even after you’ve gone.” Jean smiled, then let go and picked up his bags._

_“Thanks.”_  
  
\--  
  
Marco headed back to the bedroom and placed the photo on the nightstand. Next to another photo. Both of them were in their early teens. This one was taken the year when they were reunited.  
  
\--  
  
 _Marco had left the orphanage at 14 years of age, and was now living in a new city, in a dorm with several other boys who went to the same school he did. One of them broke his leg and had to be hospitalized, and Marco had volunteered to take his dorm mate’s homework to him. After he had dropped it off, he was getting ready to leave, just before he spotted someone standing infront of the coffee maker. With grey-blond hair…_  
  
 _“Jean?” The boy who Marco questioned turned around to face him. It was him. The other boy blinked before speaking._

_“… Marco?”_

_“Yeah!” Jean stared at him for a moment._

_“Why are you here? I thought you were still in Jinae…”_

_“Oh… I transferred… I applied to a new school and I was accepted… but I’m still in contact with Miss Miller…” Marco’s eyes suddenly caught the cast Jean was wearing on his arm. “What happened to you?”_

_Jean looked at where Marco’s gaze was fixed. “Oh, I got shot at a few weeks ago, and I just came to get some asprin -” Marco stared at Jean before interrupting._

_“SHOT AT?! WHY?!”_

_Jean growled. “None of your goddam fucking business, I don’t need you to know.”_

_Marco flinched at the anger in his voice. He didn’t remember Jean sounding like that ever, and it scared him. “I-I’m sorry…” He turned and started to leave._

_“Wh-Marco, wait, please!” Marco immediately froze and turned back to Jean. “I’m sorry, it’s just that, I have been having some things going on and I rather not talk about it. The shooting was just a friend showing me a gun and it accidentally went off. Please don’t leave.” Jean looked down at the floor, his hair covering his face as he spoke. Marco felt guilt tugging at his heart as he heard Jean’s voice. It was like when they were younger, after they had a fight and Jean apologized._   
  
_Marco walked back towards the blond and smiled. “I won’t. I promised, right?”_

_Jean looked up and blinked at him. “Hah?” Marco tilted his head._

_“… Do you remember?” Jean thought for a moment before speaking._

_“…That you’ll stay with me… as long… as I want?” Marco nodded. “_

_Yeah.”_

_“… Even now. Even after being separate for three years.”_

_“Even now.”_   
  
_Jean suddenly pulled Marco into a hug. “Thank you.” Marco was frozen for a while before hugging him back._

_“It’s fine… Maybe we could meet up someplace, catch up on things you are okay with talking about?”_

_Jean released Marco before replying “Sure. Sunday, at the park, near the water fountain, 12.” Jean and Marco exchanged numbers before Marco started to go. “Oh, and Marco?” Jean said, making Marco turn back to face him, “Don’t tell Miller about you finding me.”_

_Marco blinked confusingly. “Why?”_

_“She’ll find out about me getting shot, and I think you know where that will go.”_

_Marco paused before nodding. “Alright.”  
_  
\--  
  
Marco looked at the photos. Jean had changed a lot ever since he left. He developed a shorter temper, and reacted more physically than he used to. And sometimes he would be too rough in the bedroom, even if he was in a good mood, which at times made Marco question his choice to stay.  
  
 _I… could leave him… never come back…_  
  
But, there were moments. Moments when Jean was gentle, the same way he was when they were together at the orphanage. Moments when they got along, and laughed. Moments when they comforted one another. Moments when he felt loved. Marco gripped his hands.  
  
“I don’t… want to loose them…” He held himself as he spoke out loud. “He’s… he’s still there… the Jean from before… and they say you can bring out the better of people, and change them for the better… I…” His voice broke out small sob before he continued. “I can still… do that for Jean…” he felt tears start to roll down his face. “He just has a bad temper, but it’s mostly my fault when he gets mad, so I should be the one to help him. And… I promised… I would stay as long as he wants… even… forever…” He fell to his knees as he placed his hands to cover his face as he cried.  
  
 _I promised._  
  
-  
  
Jean took a long drag from his cigarette, seated in a couch of a dance club, not really paying much mind to what was going on around him, pushing out the blaring music. He and his friends worked a… special business… recruiting people is what Dennis called it. Hitch was far more straightforward, calling it “selecting the sluts to be”. They go out, pick the people that matched the patron’s order as much as possible, lure them in, then made sure the patron gets what he asked for. This time the order was “meek, preferably brunette, slender, gender not preferred, will pay extra for them to oversee age, and above all, CLEAN OF ANY STD.”  
  
 _Pays good, don’t have that many problems with work, nothing to complain about. Not now anyway._  
  
He had scored three an hour ago, 5 prior to that, and placed them in the car that was suppose to take them to the client’s requested spot. They were drugged out, and Jean had more than enough of the stuff if the patron requested it... if he’s into that stuff. Dennis had gotten 5, and Hitch had snagged 3 or 4. She could probably get a few more if she actually focused and would get away from the fucking bar tender.  
  
“Well, I think tonight has been successful.”

Jean looked to the side and saw Nathan plop down next to him. “How many did you score?” Jean asked, holding his cigarette so he could talk clearly.

“Oh, 6 I think.” Nathan wiggled his fingers while talking. “Here’s my question Jean; You are clearly a, wait no,  _the_ whore magnet – you have the looks, and you know how to play the cards with people who want the attention… So why won’t you actually take any of ‘em to town? Everyone else does.”  
  
Jean tightened his hold on the cigarette between his fingers. “I HAVE MARCO.”

“Ah. Kid you lived with in Jinae, then he found you after that shooting disaster involving that blond chick with the blue eyes, right?”

Jean grinned. “Yep. He’s slow, clumsy, doesn’t know when to keep quiet, but he’s got hell of a body.”

“He know about anything of your job?”

Jean scoffed and replied “Oh no, not a single bit, he thinks the job is overseeing meetings and computers. When he asked me how I got shot, I told him a friend showed me a gun and it accidentally went off. Pfft, accidentally went off my ass, bitch tried to aim for my head.” He took another drag from his cigarette and tapped it above an ashtray that was right next to him.

Nathan chuckled, “Good thing I was there, eh? God, the way she screamed just before I did her in~” He shuddered, remembering the thrill of that night’s catch.  
  
 _How the hell does he like screamers? They’re so noisy, and won’t shut up when you tell them to._  
  
Letting out a puff of smoke, Jean leaned back into the couch and peeked over to Dennis. Dennis was carrying a boy around 14 out to the car. Making his score 6.

“He’s tied with you now, Nathan.” Jean looked back to Nathan and saw Hitch plop down beside him.

“Ah, struck out again, Hitchy-Bitchy?”

She playfully hit his arm while laughing. “Oh, you. Let’s just say that tonight the bar tender was a real fling,” she chimed. She then gazed over to Jean. “So,” she asked, “I was wondering about this Marco fellow of yours, Jean. Is he the type who screams when you fuck him, or is he in the quiet group?”  
  
Jean glared at her. “Why do you need to know?”

”Oh, come on,  _Jeaaaan_ ,” she wailed, grasping Nathan’s shoulder, “Share with us!”

“He’s mine, not yours.”

Nathan hummed, “Maybe you could afford to let us have a pass at him?”

Jean choked on the smoke he had just inhaled before turning his glare to him. “Nathan-”

“Just once! We know that you rough him up back home, and I don’t have a problem with that, none of us do for fuck’s sake!”

Jean lifted his head to look at the ceiling and growled, biting at his cigarette.

“… Maybe,” Nathan quipped, “If you need to punish him for something, we could work something…” he offered, raising an eyebrow.   
  
This got Jean’s attention. Marco probably screwed up on something at home by now, he knew that much. The punishments depended on what Marco did, and Jean had no problem with delivering. But, maybe Marco needed to see that Jean was being nice to him, compared to others, make him see that Jean was the one there for him and no one else.  
  
“… When we get back, round up the others, the clean ones only though, and tell ‘em to come over to my place. I’ll come up with rules before then.”

Nathan pumped his fist into the air before knuckle bumping with Hitch.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on dreamwidth, I had to split this chapter into three parts, and I noticed - after I posted all three - I had accidentally cut out a few parts when rearranging it. ^^'

It was Monday evening, five o’clock. Jean was supposed to be back soon. Marco had finished cleaning the house for the third time, making sure that he didn’t miss anything. He hoped that if he did a good job, the punishment for breaking the picture frame would be a light one. He had spent the entire time making sure no more rules were broken. He was putting away the last of the cleaning solutions when he heard the door open. “Marco, I’m back!”  
  
 _Here we go._  
  
“Coming!” He rushed out of the closet where he kept the cleaning supplies, making sure he was presentable, and walked to the door, where Jean stood.

“Hey babe. Miss me?”

“Y-yes…”

“Sorry it took me a while, traffic was awful. You think that if the law saw 16 year olds and over as legal job holders, they would let them take the train by themselves before turning 18.” Marco looked at him nervously, figuring it would be best to tell him now instead of later, out of fear Jean would see it as hiding something.

“Jean, I need to tell you something…”

Jean frowned. “What is it,” He asked, his voiced lowered, worrying Marco.

“I, uhh, accidentally broke a picture frame.” He pulled up the photo that he had carefully set aside so Jean would know what he was talking about and handed it to him. “The photos intact, and I made sure to clean up the mess. I’m sorry, I really am, I’m-”

Jean held up his hand, “Hey hey hey, Marco if that’s it, I’m not mad.”

“… But I broke something…”

“Just as long as you made sure the mess as cleaned up and you were honest with me, I can overlook it.” Marco sighed quietly, relieved that there was going to be no punishment.  
  
Jean smiled and looked at the picture. “The lady who took the photo… she died a year after we found each other… right?”

Marco scratched his head. “Yeah, she had cancer.”

“What happened to the kids who were still at the orphanage?”

“Most of them went to another one, but some of them were adopted.”

Jean walked past Marco. “You know where any of them are?”

“… Umm, no. I lost contact with them after she died…”

Jean shrugged at Marco’s response and set the photo aside. “Well, since there’s nothing else on the agenda, I say we head up to the bedroom, and make up for some lost time.” Marco was about to respond just when Jean’s phone went off. Jean growled just before answering. “WHAT. He what? Look I – UGHH, just make sure he doesn’t do anything else before I get there, OK?” Jean hung up quickly, clearly enraged by whatever the caller told him. “Sorry, some jack ass broke the main computer at one of the secondary offices I work at, and I have to go fix it.”

“O-oh, that’s fine,” Marco replied.

“But when I get back,” Jean pulled Marco into a hug before insisting, “I’ll break out the crop and hand cuffs.”  
  
Marco internally shuddered at the statement, but made sure Jean couldn’t tell. “A-alright, I’ll wait…” Jean kissed him before heading out.

“Love you.”

As soon as Jean was out, Marco took a moment to reflect what happened.  
  
 _I didn’t get punished._  
  
He smiled to himself. Maybe he was finally getting through to Jean…  
  
-  
  
Jean looked back to the house as soon as he left. He laughed to himself.  
  
 _Oh Marco, you are going to get punished, just not the usual way._  
  
Setting a timer to go off as soon as he got in was pretty easy, and just making a few adjustments so it would sound like his ringer was child’s play. He pulled his phone out and started to type in a text message to Nathan.  
  
 **He’s all set. Remember: wait half an hour. I don’t want any suspicion. He’s not that dumb. Rules: Don’t touch his cock; He is not have any orgasms; Prepare him, with LUBE – he’s probably healing from the last round I had with him, I don’t want him to scar and get more torn up; If he screams, get him to shut up – I don’t care if you like screamers; No kissing on the lips; send me photos every five mins; NOT THE BEDROOM. Also, play along when I get back.**  
  
He tapped ‘send’ and watched the text go. Figuring a couple of hours would be the least he can afford, he went to the car and drove off.  
  
-  
  
Feeling elated about Jean’s gentleness today, Marco was getting ready to make dinner for Jean. Half an hour after Jean left, Marco heard the door open. He blinked in surprise, he figured Jean would be gone for at least another hour. Then he heard someone talk. Someone who was definitely not Jean.  
  
“Eh Jean, you ‘ome? Jeaaahnnuh!” Marco listened carefully, turning off the stove he turned on a while ago. He didn’t recognize the voice.

He then heard another voice; “Okay Nathan, you had more than enough to drink, and I doubt Jean would be interested in joining us when he sees you. I doubt he’s even home, I didn’t see the car” Marco tried to process what that meant. Were they some of his coworkers? He saw a woman with grey hair in her 20s with a man with shaggy brown hair with multi-color highlights in the hallway, possibly 19 to 21, and tried to hide, not wanting to be seen. Unfortunately, the man spotted him.  
  
“’Eeehh, look at that cutie der, huh? Think he’ll make me pay for an hour by the hundreds or the thousands?” He pointed a finger towards Marco. Marco flinched and looked for some way to get around them and head upstairs, since he couldn’t really hide downstairs anymore.

The woman chuckled, “Nathan, that’s Marco, Jean’s boy. I don’t think Jean would let him sleep with anyone else, even if they paid him.” ‘Nathan’ laughed.

“Jean’s boy eh? I gotta hand it to him, for a 17 year old, he scores the reeaal nice ones,” he raised his eyebrow to the woman. “Maybe he’d like to join us Hitch,” ‘Nathan’ looked back at the woman who was apparently called Hitch. She hummed and turned her glance to Marco, who shook his head.

“O-oh no thank you, I-I don’t like alcohol.” It was true, he didn’t. He didn’t understand how people enjoyed the burn of it. And the last time he had shared a beer with Jean, he was sick just after thirty minutes.  
  
“Aww, c’mon,” Hitch teased, helping Nathan keep his balance, since he was somewhat tipsy, “Just one drink.”

“No, Jean will probably be back in an hour, so you can come back and ask him later, now please excuse me,” Marco quietly stated as he brushed pass the both of them. As soon as he did, someone else blocked him. Another man, this one seemed to in his 40s and with stubble growing on his chin and light brown hair.

“Huh, this is Jean’s boy? Figured he’d be thinner,” he remarked while gazing at him. Marco was beginning to wonder if all of Jean’s coworkers were older than him.

“Um, please excuse me-”

Nathan suddenly grabbed Marco’s wrist and pulled him towards him. “Aw, fuck man, letz have some fun~”

Marco started to panic even more and tried to pull away. “L-let me go!” Nathan ignored him and pushed Marco against the wall, and started to grind up against him, showing Marco that he was alread half-hard.   
  
“N-no!” Marco pushed Nathan off of him, and watched him stumbled onto the floor. Completely terrified now, he tried to run past the other man. Nathan growled and grappled Marco’s left ankle, pulling him down. Marco yelped as he fell, landing on his right shoulder. Nathan crawled over him and smiled, showing his teeth.

“Dennis, get the others, ‘ders been a change o’ plans~” ‘Dennis’ shrugged and headed back outside, leaving Marco to Nathan. “It’s getting’ hot baby, lemme take these off of ya,” Nathan grabbed at Marco’s shirt and tried to pull it over his head. Marco tried to push him away.

“Don’t!” When pushing didn’t work, he tried to kick him. Hitch, who was watching with amusement, walked over and tapped Nathan on the shoulder.

“Wouldn’t it be better if we took this to the living room, y’know, more space?” Nathan stopped tugging at the boy’s shirt and thought about Hitch’s statement.

“Alright, makes sense. Grab ‘is feet, I got the ‘ands.”  
  
Hitch quickly seized Marco’s ankles after Nathan got off and kept him from kicking. “Yeesh, calm the fuck down kid, you’re going to like it,” she said whiles smirking. Nathan grabbed both of Marco’s wrists and told Hitch to pick him up.

Marco struggled to break free. “Let me go! I don’t want this!”

“Want what exactly? We haven’t started,” Nathan replied, his voice taking a darker tone. The two of Jean’s coworkers carried him to the living room, which had a large couch next to the wall. They dropped Marco on it before Nathan sat on top of him, so he couldn’t escape. Hitch left, heading to the front door, and came back holding a black bag and pulled out hand cuffs. “Here, just to make things easier.” She tossed them to him and he caught them in midair.

Marco continued his efforts to get away. “N-no! PLEASE!!”

“Awww, you’re so cute when you scream~” Nathan shuddered while watching Marco before turning him so he could cuff his hands behind his back.

“Stop…” Marco tried to twist his hands out of the older man’s grasp. As he felt the cuffs go onto them, he started to cry freely.

_Someone… anyone… please… help me..._

He turned his head to the sound of approaching footsteps. He saw Dennis coming back with five more men behind him.

“Ohh, he’s cute. Be sure not to knock him out, alright Nathan?” One of the men commented when he saw Marco.

“I’ll try my best~” Nathan finished putting the cuffs on and turned Marco to face him. His breath reeked of alcohol, making Marco positive he was going to vomit. “Anyone got a knife I could use? ‘Course I could grab one from the ‘itchen…” Everyone except Marco laughed at the statement. One of the newcomers walked up to the couch and pulled out a pocketknife that was about three inches long.

“Here. Just don’t leave anything permanent.”

“Huh? Oh! Weeell, I wasn’t thinking of actually cutting him,” Nathan said as he took the blade, “But I guess it ‘on’t ‘urt.” Nathan grabbed Marco’s shirt and used the knife to cut it to smaller pieces.   
  
 _No._  
  
“GET OFF!!” Marco kneed Nathan in his crotch, as he was halfway done with the shirt. While Nathan recoiled, Marco rolled off the couch and ran towards the stairs. Someone grabbed him and hauled him back to the couch.

“So,” the man said while another helped hold Marco down as he squirmed, “Who wants to go first?”

Nathan, who Hitch helped him up to his feet, raised his hand. “I’ll take ‘im. Bitch is givin’ me the most ‘rouble so far,” He hissed, bearing his teeth once more. The man shrugged and waited for Nathan to move. Nathan held the knife in his mouth as he undressed and stumbled over to Marco, and held the knife warningly in front of him. “I suggest stayin’ still for the next ‘art,” He growled and took the knife to Marco’s pants and started ripping them lengthwise to get them off, as well as his underwear, while letting the knife graze at the skin beneath, cutting Marco every time he moved. When he was done, Nathan moved his hand to Marco’s face and began licking him. Marco, without thinking, bit down on the hand that held him.  
  
“AH!” Nathan drew it back before hitting Marco. “Guess we should do something ‘bout tha’ pretty mouth, eh?” Chuckling, he held the knife up to Marco’s face and put his fingers in his mouth and grasped his tongue, pulling it out.

“No.” Nathan turned to Hitch, who pulled out a gag of her bag. “Don’t cut his tongue out, I’m not interested in the mess.”

Nathan growled. “Fine.” She handed the gag to Dennis, who walked over to the couch and forced the gag into Marco’s mouth. As soon as it was on, Nathan started to kiss him all over his face, avoiding his mouth. The shirt, which he was cutting earlier, was pulled off, destroying it completely, and he bit down onto one of Marco’s nipples, drawing blood. Marco arched his back from the pain and tried to scream. It came out as a muffle, causing everyone to laugh. Someone pulled out their phone and started to take pictures of the boy’s pathetic state. Nathan’s hand wandered down to Marco’s thighs and he moved his head away from his chest. He held up Marco’s legs and started biting the inner thighs.  
  
“Hgnn..”Marco looked away from what was happening, wanting to throw up. He then felt something wet land on his entrance. “Nn!” He looked back at Nathan and saw him looking at his entrance, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

“Mmm, I guess Jean get’s a bit rough ‘ere, huh?” He commented on seeing the redness that was the result of the other night.  
  
 _Please, please no, oh god no._

Nathan placed his head down and lapped at Marco’s entrance, trying several times to push his tongue in it. Marco immediately tried to get away, but two of the onlookers braced him on the couch. After a minute, Nathan pulled back, bringing Marco relief. That relief was short lived. “Hitch, hand me the lube.” Nathan moved Marco’s legs so that they would be spread apart and took the lube that Hitch held out to him. He coated his fingers with some and pulled himself back up to Marco. “This ‘ill feel good, ‘kay?” Marco shook his head, enticing more laughter. Nathan plunged his two of his fingers in and started scissoring. It felt uncomfortable. As Marco tried to get away, Nathan laughed, “C’mon, you an’ Jean have done this before, it’s nuthin’ new.” Biting down on his neck, he added another fingers and continued pumping, roughly. He stopped after what felt like hours. Marco watched in horror as Nathan poured lube onto his hand and lathered his cock up and leaned over him. “So cute~” Biting him once more, he thrust into Marco.  
  
Marco started to wail as Nathan move inside him, trying to tell him to stop. He was moving too fast. Marco was still hurting from his last time with Jean, and he didn’t want the injury down there to open up again. Nathan’s movement started to become more erratic as he continued on.  
  
 _No, please don’t. Please don’t come inside-_  
  
Marco’s thoughts were cut short as he felt something hot being released inside of him. He slumped against the couch as Nathan pulled out and got up. Dennis immediately took his place. Marco tried to get away once more but was flipped over as Dennis took over him. Not wanting to see anymore, he buried his face into the couch, wanting to block out the laughter. He wasn’t sure how long it lasted, or who went in what order. He did know he started to pass out after Hitch finished pegging him.  
  
\--  
  
 _“Hey, fatty!” Marco flinched as he heard one of the boys call him out on the playground. He had always been heavier than most of the kids his age, and several kids were more than happy to make fun of him for this. Several boys cornered him against the school building. “What you doing here? Shouldn’t you be piggin’ out in the cafeteria?” They laughed and started to make pig sounds. Marco tried to leave, but one of the boys blocked his way._

_“Leaving now?”_

_“Y-”_

_“Oh no you’re not,” he said, as he pulled out a bag from behind. He reached in and pulled out a rotting apple. “Here, a treat for our little piglet!”_   
  
_Marco tried to run, but he was tackled down to the ground. Marco thought to himself ,‘Why can I be faster?’. One of the boys held his head up as the one holding the apple forced it to Marco’s face. “C’mon, eat it piggy!” Marco gagged as the apple was pushed into his mouth. It tasted horrible. As the boys laughed at him, one of them who was the furthest from all the action yelped, prompting the rest to see what was going on. Jean had pulled his arm and dislocated it._

_“Leave Marco alone,” He growled out. Not wanting to take chances, the boy force-feeding Marco let him go and ran. The others followed suit._  
  
 _Jean frowned as he watch them run, then turned to Marco, who was on the ground, spitting out apple bits out of his mouth while crying. “J-Jean, I’m sorry,” He bawled, he was tired of being so defenseless. Jean leaned down and pulled him into an embrace. “It’s alright… I’m here.” Marco immediately hugged him back.”_  
  
\--  
  
“GET OFF OF HIM!!” Marco blinked as he heard a familiar voice holler at everyone, bringing him back to consciousness.  
  
 _… Jean?_

He felt the person who was currently on top of him being pulled off roughly and he looked up at his savior.

It was Jean.

“Marco, can you hear me?” He took the gag out of Marco’s mouth and yanked at the handcuffs until they broke then picked him off the couch bridal style.

“J-jean,” Marco sobbed into his neck, “I didn’t w-want to…”

“Shh shh shh shh shh shh, it’s alright babe, I’m here,” Jean carried him up the stairs and asked, ”Do you want to go to the bedroom or the bathroom?”

“Bathroom,” Marco replied, his voice wrecked with sobbing.

Jean went over to the bathroom and set Marco down before opening the door. “Stay in there until I come to get you, alright?” Jean helped him inside.

“Alright.” Jean closed the door, and Marco stumbled over to the toilet. “Ugh…” He started vomiting, his stomach content consisting only some yogurt he had for breakfast and an apple for lunch since he was so busy cleaning earlier, that and Jean had told him to go on a diet around two weeks ago. As soon as his body stopped heaving, he started collapsing onto the floor, but caught himself.

_Bath. I need a bath._

He flushed the toilet and dragged himself to the bathtub, setting the water to the highest pressure possible so it would fill quickly. We wanted to get their touches off as soon as possible. He stepped in, not minding the scalding heat of the water, and started scrubbing furiously at his skin. He tried to get up to clean his lower body, but stumbled over and fell forward. Exhausted and scared from what happened to him, he hugged his knees to his chest and cried.

-

Jean turned away from the bathroom as soon as he heard Marco hurling, disgusted with him.  
  
 _Idiot better not get the floor dirty._  
  
Jean walked down stairs and saw most of his coworkers had already stepped out. Nathan leaned up against the door, giving him a Cheshire smile. “So, what ya think?”

“I’ll tell you after I talk with Marco. If he gives me a harder time than before, it’ll be you I’m coming after… And how much did you drink earlier?”

Nathan chuckled “Five beers, give or take.”

Jean growled. “Figures. Now get.” Hitch came back to help him out, laughing about their little “fuck-fest”.  
  
As soon as the last car drove off, Jean went back upstairs to the bathroom, and cracked the door open. He looked at the floor to see if there was any vomit. None. Then he noticed that water had been splashed out of the tub. He saw Marco sitting in it, holding his knees while crying. Must have fell while he was in. Clumsy idiot. He went in and pulled a stool up to the tub so he could sit next to Marco. “Marco,” Jean said, making his voice sound confused so Marco wouldn’t connect him to what happened. The crying boy looked up at him, his eyes red and shimmering.  
  
 _They’re so pretty like that. Don’t you know how pretty you are when your eyes are like this?_  
  
“… Marco, babe, what happened?”

Marco wiped his face with his hand. “It was… about half an hour after you left…” Marco swallowed before continuing, “I was g-getting ready to make y-your dinner… the first three came in… they… they were originally looking fo-for you, so you could go out for some drinks… Nathan was already pre-pretty drunk when he came though… He just grabbed at me… then he told Dennis t-to get the others and…” His voice caught on the last part “… And…”

Jean put his hand on Marco’s back and rubbed him, trying to get him to relax. “Shhh …” Marco leaned into him, still crying. “What else did they do?” Jean asked.

Marco didn’t answer for a moment. “They… used a knife… and cut me…”   
  
 _Guess that explains why the water’s pink._

“Where?”

Marco shuffled a bit. “… My legs… And Nathan wanted to cut out my tongue…”

Jean growled. Damn bastard almost got too carried away. This was not one of their pickings for the job; this was Marco, who was Jean’s, and he was the only one who would decide whether or not to cut any part of Marco off. “How bad are the cuts?”

“Not too deep, but they might scar if I don’t put ointment…”

Jean nodded. “I’ll help you with that.” Marco looked at him, smiling softly before turning his head down once more.  
  
“Jean?”

“Yeah?”

“… Should… should I report this?”

Jean frowned. “… I think that would be a bad idea. You know that the people who do report it get that reputation of ‘slut’, and asking for it, and I don’t want that to happen to you. I’ll make sure that they’ll pay. I promise.” Marco nodded.

“Alright…” Jean stood up, and started taking of his clothes.

“Mind if I join you? I could help wash you.”

Marco looked up at him. “Uh, sure, but the water may be too hot…”

Jean dipped his hand in it, testing its temperature. It was hot, but he liked the burning sensation. “It’s fine.”  
  
-  
  
Marco moved to the back of the tub as Jean got ready to get in.

“No,” Jean said, making Marco stop, “I’ll be behind you, so scoot up.” Marco did so. Jean sat behind him and started to wash his back with a washcloth, placing a light kiss on the back of his neck. Marco was a bit surprised, but relaxed a bit when Jean told him, “I’ll take care of you, okay Marco?”

Marco smiled to himself, “Okay.” As Jean rubbed the cloth downward, his hands crept to the front and rubbed Marco’s stomach, surprising him. “Shh, it’s fine,” Jean hummed into his ear.  
 _  
Is this suppose to be comfort sex?_

Jean continued rubbing before he suddenly stopped. “… Did they touch it?” Marco turned his head at him, giving him a confused look. Jean sighed, “Your cock, Marco.” Marco blinked, suddenly feeling very stupid.

“N-no,” he turned away as Jean asked, “Did you cum at all?” He shook his head, “No, I didn’t enjoy any of it, I swear.” Marco held himself and felt Jean kiss his ear.

“Mm, good. I’m the only one who can make you enjoy sex anyway.” Marco nodded in response. He felt he hand on his stomach wander to his rear. “Hey,” Jean leaned further, looking at his eyes, “I’m going to get their cum out of you, think you can handle that?” Marco bit his lip and said yes. He was still loose, and he wanted to get the sticky substance inside of him out. Jean pressed his fingers in him and started moving them. Marco braced himself as he winced. It hurt, but Jean was trying to help. He would bear anything for knowing that. Jean suddenly pulled his fingers out. “Oh babe, you’re bleeding down there too. They were too rough,” Jean said, using the washcloth to wipe his fingers. Marco whimpered. They must have torn the original wound open again.  
  
Jean pulled Marco back to him so he could kiss him, “I’m the only one you can trust.”

Marco mewled into the kiss and felt Jean brush his tears away. “… Yes… the only one…” He had moved in to live with Jean and left his old roommates, he was no longer in contact with any of his old friends, and no family members who would help him. Jean was the only one for him now. He yelped as he felt Jean wrap his hand around his length and started moving up and down. “It’ll be fine.” Marco was going to protest, but then realized it could be the people from earlier. Grateful, he let Jean continue.  
  
 _It’s going to be fine._  
  
After a while, Marco started to harden in Jean’s grasp. “Oh, look at that,” Jean hummed into his ear, “Don’t worry, you’re free to come anytime tonight darling.” Marco nodded, biting the inside of his cheeks so he wouldn’t cry out. He knew Jean hated noise, and given how nice he was being, it was the least he could do. Jean picked up the pace and whispered into Marco’s ear “It’s alright Marco, it’s alright.” Marco finally reached his peak and covered his mouth as he came. He saw that he had gotten some of his seed on Jean’s hand, which was lifted to his face.

“Clean it, Marco,” Jean stated, his voice low. Not wanting to make Jean mad, he started licked his hand, making sure to get all of it. When he was done, Jean smiled and patted his face. “Good boy.” Jean stood up and held his hand out to Marco. “I think we should take care of those pretty legs now and head to bed.” Marco took his hand and tried to stand, but nearly fell over, almost pulling Jean down. He immediately turned to him, fearing that he made him mad.  
  
“I’m sorry Jean! I’m sorry I’m so clumsy-” Jean picked him up and carried him to the bedroom, lying him down on the bed. Marco watched as Jean smiled at him.

“I’ll get the ointment now.” He left and quickly returned with a tube that Marco kept. It was usually for the cuts Jean would give him. But tonight, it wasn’t Jean who caused the cuts. Jean moved Marco’s legs so he could have access to the cuts, most of them on his thighs, and started to rub the cream into the cuts. Marco watched him as he did so. He hadn’t seen this part of Jean for a very long time…   
  
\--  
  
 _“Just give me a second Marco.” Jean, currently 11, was putting antiseptic onto Marco’s knee, which had a large gash on it that was bleeding, the result of him falling down into the river they were playing next to. Marco nodded, hiccupping as he cried from the pain. Jean was better than he was at cleaning wounds, since the injury Jean got when he fell from the tree that Marco tried to disinfect had became a scar, while a deep cut he accidentally got – when he was helping Miss Miller make diner – that Jean had helped him with healed leaving no evidence._

_As soon as Jean was done, he took some gauze and wrapped it onto Marco’s knee. “There. Lemme know when you want to change it so I can put more of the disinfectant on.”_

_“_ _Alright…”_

_Jean sat down next to Marco. “No problem. We’re a team. I’ll watch over you. You’d do the same for me, right?”_

  
\--  
  
Marco smiled to himself as he recalled that memory. Jean noticed as he finished with one leg. “What is it?” He asked, pulling Marco back to reality.

“I just remembered something from long ago. When I injured my knee while playing near the river. Remember?”

Jean looked away as he tried to recall. “… I think so…” Jean muttered as he went back to finish the other leg. “Do you want to put gauze on?”

“Y-yeah, that sounds like a good idea…” Jean got up and grabbed a medium sized roll they kept and wrapped it on. As soon as he was done, he pulled down the covers and moved Marco so he could pull them over him.

“You should probably rest a bit.” Marco nodded. He felt like passing out any moment, but he quietly asked, “What do you want to do for our anniversary? It’s in four days.”

Jean stared at him before sitting down besides him. “… I was thinking having some good old fashion fun,” He confessed, “But that part depends on if you healed up by then.”

“Oh…”

“… But, we may just go out for dinner, lay off your diet for once~” Marco blinked, not sure if he heard him right. He hadn’t gone out with Jean for dinner in three months, before he started to diet. They only did it if Marco behaved well enough.  
  
Jean was being so different than usual. Marco had stopped crying a few minutes ago, but was starting to again. “Jean…” He moved his hand to clasp Jean’s and smiled, “Thank you. For taking care of me.” He felt that things were going to get better now. Jean was becoming gentle, the same way he was before.

He was falling asleep quickly and was about to just before feeling Jean move so he was over him, hearing him say, “Just go to sleep,” before drifting off.  
  
-  
  
Marco remained blissfully unaware of the dark smile Jean casted down on him when he was certain he was asleep and stroked the freckled boy’s cheek. “You’d better let me have you, the way I want and when I want after all of this, or you’ll be wishing that you were dead.”

He leaned down and whispered into his ear, knowing Marco couldn’t hear him, “You can’t leave me. Even if you wanted to leave, you wouldn’t. You have no where else to go and no one else will take care of you, especially if they knew what happened to you.” He licked the right side of Marco’s face, from his chin up to his ear, extracting a soft moan from the sleeping boy.   
  
“You’re nothing without me. NOTHING.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 4! Eren is going to show up around the end... more or less. I'll put a few more notes at the end. There is more non-con elements, just FYI. Dreamwidth was giving me problems earlier so this part isn't up there yet.  
> -  
> Update: I just noticed that I accidentally left out part of the dialogue so I had to update this again. -epic fail-

Jean huffed as he finished preparing Marco and pulled his fingers away. “Oh, you’re so tight today Marco.” He pulled the leash that was attached to Marco’s collar. “Now tell me,” he ordered, “What you want.”

Marco nodded and mewled out, “I… I want you… Jean…”

“But I’m already here.”

“… I want you to… to…”

Jean grinded against Marco then pulled away.

“To?” He growled, giving the chain a yank, tightening the collar.

“To… take me… and... make me yours...” Marco choked out. Jean smirked.

“Good boy.” Making sure the leash was as short as possible wrapped around his left wrist, he grabbed Marco’s hips, digging his nails into the flesh beneath, and pushed into him. The collar had tightened so much that every sound that came out of the freckled boy was a strained, quiet moan.

_Just the way I like it. Quiet with a good view._

It had been three days since he had let Nathan and the others play around with Marco. Jean examined Marco earlier that morning, and decided that Marco had healed enough for them to resume having sex together. Marco agreed without his usual hesitation. Jean smirked to himself. Ever since Jean “saved” Marco and kept up the act of being nice, he had been getting fewer problems from him. Marco didn’t speak back. He kept quiet as soon as he was told to. He stayed put wherever Jean wanted him stay. There were still problems like when he would drop or forgot something, and he was still to slow with responding and moving when told to. But he was improving, or trying to anyway.

_Bitch finally became grateful to me._

Marco kept his face forward as Jean fucked him, hands gripping at the bed sheets, not daring to do anything outside of Jean’s orders. Deciding that he wanted to see his face, Jean leaned down to his ear and demanded, “Look at me, show me that pretty face of yours.” Marco turned his head to face Jean, trying not to make the collar tighten any more. His face was flushed red and shined with sweat in the lamplight that sat on the nightstand in their bedroom. The freckles stood out even more against the red cheeks, and Jean watched as he made restricted breaths. Marco was so beautiful right now.

Jean licked the shell of Marco’s ear before biting, but Marco didn’t move. Good. Jean quickened his pace as he felt a familiar sensation in his gut. “You’ll wait till I’m done before you get any release, understand?” Jean grabbed Marco’s cock as he spoke, stroking it slowly. He had teased him earlier, making him hard, but had stopped as he prepared to fuck Marco, and told him not to touch himself. Marco whimpered at his touch and nodded. Jean continued his thrusting, the pace now becoming irregular, just before releasing his cum into Marco. As soon as he finished, his stroking on Marco’s cock increased. “You’re free to cum now babe.” Marco shut his eyes as he gave a silent moan when he came, leaving a white substance on his chest and Jean’s hand, which Jean wiped off on the sheets.

He gave the leash one last tug before releasing it, letting Marco fall forward. “Don’t leave the bed or remove the collar, but you can move. We’re done for now.”

“Yes…” Marco rasped out, curling into a ball. Jean got off and grabbed his clothes and phone before walking out of the room. He entered the bathroom and dialed Nathan’s number. It took about 6 rings for him to answer.

“Uhh, what the fuck man? Do you have any idea what the time is?”

“Ten. Are there any orders that we need to get ready?” He heard Nathan growl and move around.

“Not for today… But I do have news for you.”

“About what?”

“We’re getting a promotion.”

Jean raised his eyebrow. In their line of work, promotion usually meant they would be offered to live in the higher-class section of the cities that were still around. In other words, the interior. They would still work and get what the client ordered, but for a higher cost.

“Reason?”

“Let’s just say a client has been enjoying what you’ve been bringing in lately, so he’s willing to work out a deal. We get to live in apartments in the inner part of Sina that would normally cost ten grand a month for free, and he gets whatever he orders, and you are responsible for who get’s picked.” Jean hummed as he processed what he heard. Didn’t sound half bad.

“Is there a set day to go to the interior?”

“Just in time for you to tell your boy that it’s an anniversary present.”

Jean frowned before speaking again, “BY THE WAY, DIDN’T I TELL YOU NOT TO TEAR HIM?”

“Hey, that was from what you did, and you didn’t say anything about opening an old wound up!”

He growled. “JUST FORWARD ME THE ADRESS FOR THE PLACE SO I CAN MAKE THE MOVE.”

Nathan laughed over the phone. “OK, fine.”

 -

Marco sat up on the bed, looking at the door. Ever since Jean saved him the other day, he had been trying to keep Jean happy as much as he could. Marco was willing to do whatever it took to make him happy now… besides, it might help Jean manage his temper… and he has been so nice in the past three days… that meant he was finally helping Jean become better.

_The Jean… from long ago… he still exists… I saw it then…_

The door opened and Jean walked back in, fully clothed. “Is there anything you want me to do, Jean? Fix breakfast for you?”

Jean smiled. “Nah, I ate while you were sleeping earlier.” he waved his hand as he plopped down onto the bed, and pulled Marco into an embrace, which Marco wasn’t sure if he should return.

“You can put your arms around me,” Jean commented as he buried his face into Marco’s neck. He raised both of his hands up onto his back and held him.  His stomach then started to make noise, embarrassing him. He didn’t have dinner last night, and hadn’t had breakfast yet. He felt Jean move and look at him. “Marco?” Marco flinched at the tone in Jean’s voice.

“I-I’m sorry Jean. I didn’t mean to…” Jean sighed.

“Forget it.” Marco looked down, feeling absolutely sure that he had gotten him upset. Not angry enough to lash out immediately, but this would definitely one of many minor things that will contribute to a punishment later.

That’s the harsh Jean anyway. But if he was becoming better with his temper, like Marco believed… maybe not?

He kept his head down until he heard Jean speak to him again. “I have your anniversary present. Wanna see it? It’s a day early, but I think it wouldn’t hurt.” Jean was smiling at him, bringing Marco some relief from the tension.

“Today? A-alright. If that’s what you want… Oh! But I don’t have anything, I’m really sorry!”

Jean patted his head. “That’s fine. You weren’t allowed out of the house over the weekend and I told you that it would be better to stay in after… You know. Can’t be helped. Now, close your eyes.” Marco did and felt Jean get off the bed and heard him open something up before coming back. “Open them.” As soon as he did, he saw Jean holding a necklace with a square pendant.

“… It’s beautiful Jean.”

Jean chuckled and placed it around Marco’s neck. “Got it when I was out of town.” Marco touched it and took a closer look at it. It had a black pearl inserted in the pendant and had his initials engraved in it on one side. Turning it over, he saw Jean’s initials as well.

“And technically, it’s not a gift, but given the timing, it might as well be,” Jean rubbed his neck before finishing, “We’re moving. To the interior.”

Marco sat there dumbfounded. “… The interior? Of Sina?”

Jean nodded. “Got a promotion at work, and we got the address for our new place. We’re leaving tomorrow.” Marco stared at him, his mouth slightly open.

Jean frowned. “What is it?”

“Oh! Nothing! I’m just trying to process all of this, it’s all pretty sudden… I am happy though!” Jean frown left and was replaced with his familiar cocky smile.

“Good.” He started to kiss at Marco’s neck, which Marco started to moan at. “Try not to give me any problems on the drive tomorrow or before, alright?” He bit down on his neck, prompting Marco to yelp before answering.

“AH! Y-YES~” He immediately covered his mouth to keep himself quiet. He wasn’t really in the mood for another round, still trying to wrap his head around what he was told. But he didn’t want Jean to get upset, so he didn’t protest. To his surprise, Jean stopped and pulled away.

“I need to go out for a while. Gotta make sure that the movers will come and get our stuff as soon as we’re out. I’ll be back around four, and we can go out together.” Marco nodded, removing his hand from his mouth. Jean kissed him before leaving the room. “You’re going to stay home until I’m back, but you can leave the room. Try to eat lightly today.”

“Okay,” he said. As soon as Jean was out, his stomach started to make noise again. “Ngg…” Marco placed his hand on his stomach. He was so hungry… but if he lost weight faster, he could end the diet permanently sooner. He didn’t have breakfast.

 -

Nathan played around with his photos that were taken when he and the others were playing with Marco. Oh, he was cute. Pain in the ass, yes, wished he could have screamed a bit more, but everything else was good. One of his friends who were invited had sent him the photos the day after fucking the boy.

“That Jean’s boy?” He looked over his shoulder and saw Seth looking at the photo.

“Back already? And yeah.”

Seth wolf-whistled at the photo. He was clean but had to go round up an order that was out of town, so missed out. “You think Jean would- ”

“Uh, no. Talked to him this morning, and he didn’t sound like wanting to share for another while."  

Seth growled between his teeth. “Fuck. I really hate the bastard. He made me look like a fucking idiot last month when we were getting a few chicks. Lost five of ‘em.”

Nathan pondered on this. He was all right with Jean, but he also wanted to give the fucker a hard time. “… He had to go out of the house and work on a few things. His boyfriend is still home. If you’re fast enough…” Seth looked at him before putting his hand on his chin.

“Hmm… He heading to the interior, right?”

“Yep.”

“How would he react if his boy was taken to the outside of… the whole city?”

Nathan smirked. “It would be amusing. Just leave my name out of this.”

“As far as I know, it was Luke who told me Jean was out.”

 -

Marco was putting a few things into boxes. He wanted to make sure the move didn’t take too long, so he figured that he better start packing a few things. He grabbed the picture with him and Jean at the orphanage. Jean went and bought the photo a new frame the day after he told him he broke it. Marco held it close to his chest. Given how Jean has been treating him… he felt staying was going to be worth whatever happens to him.

  _It’s going to get better._

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard something. It was coming from the front door. He turned his head to face the alarm clock. It said 3:00 pm. It wasn’t Jean. He started panicking immediately. Was it the same people from before? He heard what sounded like wood breaking and several voices.

“So where do you think he is?”

“No idea, look around downstairs. If we don’t find him down here, he’s probably upstairs.” Marco recognized the second voice. It was one of the men that attacked him. He immediately went to the door and closed it quietly, not wanting to be heard, and locked it. He grabbed his cell phone and pressed Jean’s number. It rang a few times before Jean answered.

“What is it Marco?”

“Jean, some-someone broke in! It’s one of the men that raped me!” Marco tried to keep his voice down.

“Where are you right now?” Jean’s voice sounded more panicked now.

“Th-the bedroom! They’re searching the lower lev-”

He was interrupted by someone shouting, “Not downstairs! Let’s go up!” He whimpered.

Jean must have heard the intruders, because the next thing Marco heard him say was, “Marco, hide! And stay there, I’m coming!” He did as he was told, immediately squeezing himself under the bed. Marco listened as footsteps were coming upstairs at a fast pace. He felt sick.

“Should we check the bathroom?”

“Yeah.”

Marco listened as the footsteps continued. After a minute, he heard them talk again “Nothing in here.”

“Double check. He’s probably hiding by now. Hey, find anything in there?”

“Nah. Just some books. What about that room?” The only room left that Marco could think of was where he was hiding.

“Marco?” He clutched the phone closer to him as Jean spoke. “Just stay there-”

“Door’s locked!”

“Break it, like the front one.” There was a slamming sound against the door, and Marco felt himself panicking even more.

“Jean, I’m scared.” Marco whispered into the phone.

“… Marco-” The door broke as soon as Jean spoke. Marco bit his lower lip to keep quiet.

“Look around. This is the last place for him to be… unless he left.”

“Pfft, unlikely.”

“That better not be the case, I didn’t get the chance to screw with him the other day cuz of Jean.” He heard the closet door being opened and being searched. Silence soon followed. He then heard footsteps approach the bed. The space between the floor and the mattress was hidden by the sheets. To Marco’s horror, the ones that he was facing were lifted, and he instantly recognized the man that gave Nathan the pocket-knife.

“Found him!” The man, who had black hair that seemed unwashed, immediately reached for Marco, grabbing him by the arm and tried to pull him out from underneath.

“NO! LET ME GO!” He screamed as he clawed at the hand holding him.

He heard Jean scream over the phone. “MARCO!?” Marco was hauled out from underneath and someone reached under the bed and grabbed his phone.

“Sorry Jean, but your boy is going on a little trip. We’ll try to bring him to you.”

“BAS-” The person holding the phone immediately hung up as Marco was forced onto the bed.

“LET ME GO! JEAN!! HELP!!”

“Get the sevo.” Marco tried to push the black haired man off him, but someone walked up to the bed and stuffed a cloth into his face. As soon as Marco detected as sweet-sour smell, he held his breath, refusing to inhale. The person holding the cloth covered his face entirely when they noticed.

“C’mon, don’t be a bitch…” After a minute, he felt himself starting to pass out, and slowly inhaled through the rag. Before he was completely out, he felt something being injected into his arm.

 -

Marco’s eyes slowly opened. He tried to move his head, but couldn’t for some reason.

_Did they drug me? Where are you Jean? Where am I?_

From what he could tell so far, he was in the back of a minivan. He didn’t see any daylight coming in, but no other light sources were around, so it was probably night. The man with the black hair came into his vision.

“Ah, he’s awake.”

“Told you I used the right amount, you are such a doubter Luke.”

“Help me get him out.” ‘Luke’ moved and Marco heard a door being opened before being hauled by his hands. He made another attempt to move, which resulted with basically nothing.

_No, not this, please…_

When he was pulled out, another man, this one with blond hair, held his feet as they carried him out. Marco saw several trees next to an open field, as well as hundreds of stars in the sky. They were definitely outside of Sina, and were far away from any other cities. They were in the countryside. He knew because he hadn’t seen this many stars ever since his mother and he and moved from the countryside to live in Jinae. Before she died.

Marco felt himself being placed onto the ground and he noticed there were a total of four men. “So who’s going first?”

“I am. I missed out the other day because of work.”

“Anyone have a problem with Seth going first?” There were several ‘no’s before another blond leaned over him.

“Hm, dunno how the hell that bastard keeps getting nice ones. Can’t blame him for not wanting to share though.” ‘Seth’ started to unbutton Marco’s shirt before leaning down and bit his earlobe. He continued nibbling as he rubbed his hands all over Marco’s chest, pulling at the nipples. Marco wanted to scream, but any sound he made came out as a small whimper. And he felt like he was going to pass out again, probably the drug’s fault.

Seth pulled away from Marco’s ear and turned his focus on his pants. After unfastening the belt, he undid his zipper and pulled the pants off. They must have removed his shoes earlier, since his legs were pulled out his pants with ease. His underwear was still on. He felt his stomach churn as Seth’s fingers slipped under the band, touching him. And started to pull down.

A loud groaning sound filled the air just then, capturing everyone’s attention.

Seth stood up, loosing all interest in removing Marco’s clothing. “What the hell…” Marco noticed that one of the other three went over to where the sound originated. The woods. Since Marco was stuck on the ground and since he was facing the opposite direction, he had no idea of what was going on.

“JESUS FUCKING CHRI-” The sentence was cut off by a sickening squelch, as if he was crushed by something, which everyone else was apparently backing away from.

Even more confused, and everyone was ignoring him now, Marco tried to roll onto his side and get a better look. Much to his surprise, he actually managed to. He then saw what it was. Something had landed on the person, crushing him… Marco had no idea what it was, but he could tell it was big. Very big. To his horror, he watched as the thing move off the now flattened corpse.

_What?_

The thing started to come out of the woods. The three men who were standing stood there until one of them – Luke possibly – started to scream and run. “FORGET THE FUCKING SLUT! WE NEED TO GO!” He broke into a run as a loud sound came from… whatever that thing was. Marco tried to move and push himself up, but as soon as he started to press his arm down, his vision started to blur.

_No… please… I’m scared…_

He fell onto his stomach as his vision continued to black out on him.  The ground felt like it was shaking. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a large shadow over him.

 -

 Jean bursted into Nathan’s apartment, and spotted the bastard sitting down, working on his laptop.  “WHERE IS HE?!”

Nathan looked up in surprise. “Who?” Jean grabbed Nathan’s shirt and pulled him, making him drop the computer.

“MARCO!! SOMEONE CAME AND TOOK HIM! SOMEONE WHO WAS IN YOUR LITTLE GANGBANG!!”

Raising his hands, Nathan shook his head. “Woah, slow down! I’ve been here for almost the entire day! I just went out half an hour to the bar!” Jean watched as Nathan seemed to remember something. “But… Luke came to meet with me… and we ran into Seth there... and they may have been talking about him?”

“YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.”

“Did you check them yet? Or am I the first suspect?”

 _Fuck this_ , _he might not be in on this one._

Figuring Nathan had nothing else worth his time, he let him go. He was about to head out the door when Nathan’s phone went off. “Yeah? … Luke?” Jean froze and turned back. “Luke, is Marco the-”

“NATHAN YOU GOTTA HELP US-” There was a crunching sound followed by more screaming.

“What the hell man?”

“TRACE THE CALL, PICK US UP, CAR’S BEEN DES-” There was another sound before the call went dead. Nathan looked at Jean. Jean felt ready to rip someone’s throat out.

_Where the hell is Marco?_

-

It was warm, wherever he was. Feeling himself starting to gain consciousness, Marco tried opening his eyes. He found himself facing upwards, seeing the night sky and several trees overhead. He sighed when he realized he was still alive and subconsciously touched the necklace Jean gave him, trying to give himself some comfort.

_It’ll be fine… you’re safe now… safer anyway. You… just need to figure out where you are… and get back to Jean… he won’t blame you for what happened…_

Marco tried moving, and to his relief, he was able to sit up. THAT would be when his brain registered WHERE he was sitting. Wood. He looked down and saw he was on a branch… that was, for certain, several feet from the ground. He tensed up, trying not to make sudden movements or anything that would result in falling to his death, since he still felt sluggish from being drugged. Feeling a warm wind blow onto his back, he turned around to look. Only to find an eye that was the size of his head looking back at him.

“Ah-Ah-AAHHH!!” Marco screamed at the top of his lungs as he started to back away, trying to stand. Bad move. He lost his balance and slipped off the branch. He felt the air whistle past his ear as he plummeted and shut his eyes, desperately hoping that it would block out the pain of impact… Just before he was caught.

He blinked in surprise, and looked to see what broke his fall. A hand. He was caught in a giant hand. Scrambling, he tried to get off of the giant palm he was lying down on. The hand tilted, making Marco fall backwards, and rose back up to the branch where Marco fell. As soon as he was up to where he knew the eye was, he turned away, terrified to see exactly what this… THING was. He was supposed to be with Jean, celebrating their anniversary. Not lost in the countryside, nearly raped a second time in the same week, hungry, still affected from some kind of drug, with no idea how to get back to Jean.  He spoke, his voice breaking, not sure the thing holding him would understand, but he could care less.

“PLEASE! Just… just… leave me! I…” He started to cry right there, not caring how loud he was. He was terrified and exhausted beyond wits end, and no one was there for him.

A low grumble was made behind him, and something touched his back. While heavily sobbing, Marco felt whatever was touching him start to rub his back in circles, as if trying to comfort him. After a few minutes, his breath evened out. The touch lingered for a few more seconds before retreating. Marco tried to brush away the tears that were still coming from his eyes. Figuring that knowing what was holding him wouldn’t change the situation for worse, he took a deep breath and turned.

He looked at its eyes. In the current light provided by the moon, they looked green. They looked back at Marco, watching him carefully. Marco studied the rest of its face. It… looked overall human, male possibly… Except for a few things. Its – or his, as Marco decided – mouth stood out the most; It had no lips, and the teeth were lined up where they would have been, and continued past where the lips would have ended. They reminded him of a skeleton. In the corner of his eyes, he saw pointy ears sticking out, and they were… pretty cute to be honest. He grazed his eyes along the whole body now. The creature was sitting down, but Marco could tell he had a male figure, and a very well built one, judging by his muscles.

The giant –that’s what Marco concluded - raised it’s other hand up and tried to wipe off the tears on Marco’s face using his index finger as soon as it noticed he was still crying. Not realizing what he was doing, Marco moved his hands and held the offered finger to his face. It was… very warm… much warmer than Marco was. After a while, Marco’s brain clicked as he noticed he was holding onto the oversized finger, and he released his hold on him and scooted back. The giant made a soft groan and moved his hand that was holding Marco so it was over the branch. Marco carefully got off, not interested in falling again. His vision started to blur again, and he carefully sat down.

As everything around him continued to blur, he wondered if it would be all right to get some rest, and try to figure everything out in the morning. Jus then, he felt something brush against him. He looked back at the giant and saw it was still watching him and was holding out his pants that were taken off before. He hesitantly took them and slipped them on, surprised that the giant had picked them up. Marco didn’t want to admit it, but he felt… safe, knowing something was watching him.

_I’ve never… felt this safe… not even… when Jean… saved me…_

He decided it would be alright, and lied down on his side so that he could see his watcher as he drifted off. He sat there, watching Marco, as if to reassure him nothing bad would happen to him. Just before he was completely out, Marco smiled to him.

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so tempted to put this in the cannon-verse since I love titan shifters, but the idea of having Dark!Jean in cannon-verse was too painful for me, so I went with AU. I couldn't resist using Eren's Titan form though. It is cute as hell, and you know it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 5, WHOO! Sorry it took me so long, I've been swamped by studying for finals and projects, and my computer crashed, so I had to start all over on this part DX  
> BTW, critique is appreciated, so feel free to make comments :D

“… Medicine, Moblit?”

“No. He just hasn’t eaten or drank anything in a while.”

Marco stirred at the sound of people talking around him. He felt something soft lying underneath him. He forced his eyes to open so he could see where he was. Blinking them several times as his eyes adjusted to the light, he found himself looking up at a white ceiling. He noticed he had an IV in his arm. He was confused by his surroundings for a moment before recalling that he was taken from his home. He groaned and tried to push himself up. He suddenly felt someone helping him up.

“Um, please try to take it easy! The doctor said that you were dehydrated when we found you, so we had to put you on the IV… you will be able to take it out soon though.” He looked to whoever it was. It was a short blond girl with blue eyes, holding his shirt and pants, which was folded neatly, making him realize he was in a clean set of clothing.

“O-Oh… alright…” He tried to smile at her as he adjusted himself.

“I brought you some food as well. I hope you like it.” She then pulled over a tray with several pieces of bread and scrambled eggs and placed it onto his lap. Seeing it made him start to drool immediately, and gave no thought to his diet.

“…Thank you!” Seizing the fork, he started to shovel the eggs into his mouth and grabbed the bread and took a large bite, trying not to choke on either the eggs or bread.

 The other person, a man with brown hair was heading over to the door but stopped when someone walked in. “Corporal Levi. Commander Erwin.” The person stood up straight and the blonde girl did as well.

“… So, he’s awake.” Marco saw two men standing at the door, the one who spoke with black hair, and very short – only a little above five feet at the least, and a blonde who was about six feet tall, wearing a bolo tie. “We need both of you to leave. We’ll be explaining things to him,” the blonde male ordered. The blonde girl saluted the two men before leaving them alone with Marco.

 Marco watched them as they approached him before the blond spoke. “Allow us to introduce ourselves. I’m Commander Erwin, and this is Corporal Levi.” The shorter man gave a nod of acknowledgement.

“H-hello, I’m Marco Bodt,” Marco managed to squeak out. The taller man sat down in the chair that the girl was sitting in previously.

“You’re on military grounds right now. Several cadets found you.” Marco felt himself beginning to panic. “You were drugged, and there were several other men with you. Do you recall what happened?” Erwin looked at Marco with a serious face.

Marco bit his lip. He remembered being attacked back home. “Um… this will sound stupid… but I was kidnapped…”

  _Jean left… then they came… and knocked me out… I remember being in a car at one point… they took me out…_

 But everything after that… was a blur… there was yelling… no, screaming, involved… then nothing…

 No… that’s right… the giant. Marco blinked as he remembered the creature, not sure if that was just a dream or if it actually happened.

  _It probably was just a dream, giants don’t exist. Also, if it was real, what are the chances they would believe you?_

 Deciding it was just a dream, he shook his head.

 “No. I’m sorry….” He looked down.

“It’s alright…” The shorter man looked at Marco with a neutral expression. “… We killed them. The kidnappers”

Marco took a moment before looking up to him. “W-What?”

“They were trespassing, and when we found them, one of them assaulted on of our cadets. We opened fire.” Marco stared in shock. He wasn’t sure how to feel about what he was just told. They probably deserved it though… “We also had to examine you. There was nothing to suggest that they managed to assault you sexually.” Marco bit his lip and looked down. “Do you have anyone who we can call up?”

Marco blinked before answering, still trying to wrap his head around what he was just told. “Oh, yes. Jean Kirschtein.”

“Alright, can you give us his number?”

“Yeah.” The blonde man handed him a piece of paper and a pen and Marco scribbled down Jean’s number. Erwin thanked him and left with Levi. Marco looked around the room and saw another bed that was occupied. He couldn’t see the persons face because it was covered with a towel, showing only a mop of brown hair. But if he had to guess, it was a male, probably his age guessing by his build. He tried saying hello, but got no response.

  _I hope he isn’t in a comma…_

-

Jean glared at the back of Nathan’s neck, who was currently on his laptop. “WHY THE HELL IS THIS TAKING SO LONG?” Nathan waved his hand as if trying to wear down Jean’s anger.

“Tracing calls can be tricky, especially if they went out of town.” Jean growled as the tapping on the keyboard continued. Just as he was getting ready to see what Nathan was doing exactly, his phone went off. He pulled it out and saw a number he didn’t recognized.

“The hell?” Nathan was about to say something before Jean pressed the talk button. “Who the fuck is this?”

“Good evening to you too. I’m Corporal Levi.” Hearing the corporal part made an alarm go off in Jeans head. His rule number one in his line of work was don’t get the government involved with you. Ever.

He groaned before asking “Why do you have my number?”

“You’re friend Marco gave it to us.”

“MARCO? WHERE IS HE?” He raised his voice as he started asking questions. “WHERE IS HE? WHAT DID THOSE ASSHOLES DO TO HIM?! I’LL KILL THEM!!”

“Calm down. He’s not hurt. And since you mentioned, his kidnappers were killed.” Hearing that made Jean blink. Was that what he heard on the phone then?

_That’s one thing crossed off my list I guess…_

He bit down on his lips to keep himself from chuckling. “He gave us your number so you can pick him up.”

“No problem.” Levi gave him an address for where to go and hung up.

Jean turned back to Nathan. “Don’t bother with that. They’re dead.”

Nathan looked at him confusingly. “Wha?”

“That was some Corporal guy on the phone. He said that they have Marco and that they killed those assholes already.” Hearing the corporal part made Nathan jolt up.

“Please tell me that he called only to tell you about the boyfriend.”

“Relax, nothing in the phone call suggesting that he was in any investigation.”

Nathan’s brow furrowed. “Okay…”

“I’ll be heading over to get him.”

“Hey, I though that you had to go to the Interior by three-”

Jean glared at Nathan, cutting him off. “I’M GOING TO GET MY BOYFRIEND. HE’S MINE. AND MINE ALONE.” Not wanting to waste anymore time, he stormed out of the apartment.

-

Levi paced down the wall before catching up with Erwin. “You managed to reach him.”

Levi nodded. “Yes, I’ll be heading out to the edge of the fort in three hours to make sure he gets him.”

He paused before continuing. “Do you think we should let him?” Erwin looked at him. “We took x-rays, and found multiple signs of fractured bones from the past, most of them within the last 3 years. And even though there was no signs of being raped when we found him, there’s evidence that he was a few days ago.”

Erwin stopped walking and rubbed his neck. “As much as I’m concerned about this being for the best, it’s Bodt’s choice on whether or not he goes. We can’t force him to not go.”Levi sighed.

“Fine.”

-

Marco sat in the passenger seat as Levi drove at high speed. He held himself, prepared to try and get out if things came to the worst. Levi wasn’t looking at him at the moment, but there was no danger in being cautious. As they passed the security checkpoint, he instantly recognized the car Jean drove parked in the distance.

“That’s him.” He pointed to the car over on the left and Levi glanced.

“Alright.” He pulled over to the left and as soon as he stopped Marco opened the door and got out, thanking Levi.

As he approached Jean’s car, the door opened and Jean scrambled out. “Marco!” He ran up to Marco and pulled him into an embrace. “Are you hurt?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think I am.” Jean pulled back, looking to see his face.

“You sure.” Marco nodded, and Jean sighed in relief. “Alright.” He started to pull Marco towards the car. “C’mon, let’s go.” Marco nodded and got in next to Jean. Jean quickly made a U-turn and drove away.

The drive during the first half hour was quiet. Marco wanted to talk to Jean… but about what? Jean looked over to Marco. “… What did they do?”

“Huh? Are you talking about the military?”

Jean frowned. “No. The other ones.”

Realizing Jean meant his kidnappers, Marco looked down. “I… can’t remember… they drugged me… but the doctors didn’t find any sign of assault…” Jean nodded, but his frown was still on his face. … Marco scratched his head. “I’m sorry…”

Jean sighed. “Nah. I’m just glad you’re here.” He turned to Marco and smiled. “It’s our anniversary. And we’re heading to the interior.” Marco smiled back, relaxing a bit.

_I shouldn’t be worrying… I can trust him…_

“Is… is it alright if I get some sleep?”

Jean chuckled. “Not a problem.” Marco positioned himself so he wouldn’t be sore when he woke up and drifted off.

\-- 

_Dark. Looked up at the sky. Night. Not at the base. He looked around the woods he was in and was about to leave when he saw something in the field. People. He approached, curious. They were surrounding someone._

**_That one isn’t moving. Is it dead?_ **

_He then saw it trying to move itself, barely twitching. No. It was alive. He then saw one of the standing people lean down on it. It was trying to eat him. No. He couldn’t let that happen. He got closer, and saw it pull it’s clothing off, and cried out. One of them came closer. As soon as it saw him, he brought his foot down. It didn’t deserve to live if it was going to let someone eat another. The others started to run, leaving the one lying down. He charged after them. Some headed to the car that was nearby and got in. Not letting them get away, he kicked it and watched it as it rolled away. It stopped, and no one tried to get out. He turned his attention to the last remaining person. He swung his hand down and grabbed him. It floundered around in his hand before he crushed it. He let it’s corpse fall down to the ground._

_He turned back to see the lying one. He walked over and took a closer look. Male. Young. He reached out to touch him. Skin was so soft… and covered with dots… they were pretty. He’ll call him ‘Dots’ for now. Curling his hand, he nudged the unconscious boy onto it, holding him close. He then noticed something else on the ground. Pants. He picked them up with his other hand and walked back to the woods. He came to one of his favorite spots when he heard something._

_“N-no… please don’t… Jean…” He looked at the tiny being. Dots was talking in his sleep. He sat down carefully and watched him as he spoke. “Please… I’m sorry…” his voice was barely as whisper, but the terror in it was noticeable. The one watching let out a low moan, trying to decide if he should wake Dots. When he moved his hand, Dots curled, as if expecting to be hurt._

**_I won’t hurt you. I promise._ **

_He carefully placed the boy in one of the trees nearby, and set the pants on the ground next to it. Dots curled up unconsciously. He spoke once more. “Jean… I didn’t…” The boy continued to roll in his sleep until he was on his back and stayed in that position until he woke up. When he finally noticed he was being watched, he started to scream and stood up, and fell off the branch. He caught the dotted boy, who then tried to get off his hand, but he moved his hand so he wouldn’t fall again. As he raised his hand back to the branch, the boy turned away, refusing to face him._

_“PLEASE! Just… just… leave me! I…” The larger one watched as he started to cry. He didn’t want this boy to be scared. He reached his fingers out and caressed Dots’ back, hoping it would relax him. It must have worked a bit, since his breathing evened out. Dots then turned to face him, allowing him to see his eyes. They were brown. They were beautiful. But tears were still coming out from them. He moved his finger to wipe off the streak that ran down the dotted cheek._

_As he touched the smaller one’s face, he felt a small hand hold the finger close. After a few seconds, the boy blinked and released the finger, retreating from it. He held his hand over the branch so that Dots could climb off. As soon as he was seated on the branch, the other one remembered the pants. He picked them up and held them up to Dots. Dots turned back to him and saw the pants that he was offering. He slowly took them and placed them back on._

_Dots lied down on his side, keeping his gaze on him. He watched the small one as he started to slip into his sleep. Dots gave him a small smile, and whispered, “Thank you.” His eyes were then closed. He continued to watch the boy sleep… until he felt searing pain. He was in this form too long. He felt himself start to black out when he heard yelling._

**_I need… to stay awake…_ **

_Someone jumped onto the nape of his neck and sliced there. As soon as they did, he was completely out._

\--

“Nng…” Eren’s eyes opened slowly, feeling like they had been sewn shut. He was confused for a moment when he saw white blocking his vision before he realized it was a towel. “What?” He pulled the towel off and sat up, looking around wildly. He spotted an empty bed next to him.

“Eren!” He looked to the right and saw Mikasa enter the room. “Eren, are you okay, do you need anything?” Eren pushed himself out of the bed.

“Wh-what happened?” Mikasa looked at him firmly.

“You shifted again.”

Eren groaned. Again? This was the fifth time this week. “What happened this time?”

“You tried to propel off one of the buildings and fell. We’re pretty sure you hit your head pretty hard.”

“GAAAAH…” He buried his face in his hands.

“… Do you remember what happened?” He peeked at her through his hands.

“Huh?”

“After you shifted. Do you remember anything.”

Eren glanced to the side as he tried to remember what happened… A boy… the boy. Dots. He was being attacked… was about to be eaten…

_No… he wasn’t being eaten… he was going to be... oh god. Then I stopped them… I killed them… then… I took him out of there…_

He took his hands off his face and started to walk past Mikasa.

_Is he still out there? Is he still in that tree where I put him?_

“Eren wait!” Mikasa ran after him, and he turned his head to face her.

“Not now Mikasa, I need to find-” Not watching where he was going, he bumped into Levi.

“So,” Levi growled as Eren straighten himself, “You finally woke up. You better have a good explanation on why we found four corpses that were squashed nearby when we found you.”

“Corporal Levi, they were attacking someone, a boy, and I wasn’t going to let that happen. Can I go now? I need to find him-”

Levi cut him off. “The boy’s name is Marco, and he’s already heading home.”

“… He’s alright?”

Levi growled. “He wasn’t hurt around the time you found him, if that’s what you’re asking…”

_Around the time I found him?_

Eren was about to speak again when Levi stopped him. “You better learn how to be in control of your shifting. Do you know how many strings I had to pull since there were actual casualties? I don’t want anything like this again, you understand Eren?”

Eren swallowed. “Y-yes, sir…”

Levi sighed. “As much as I’m glad about why it happened, it doesn’t make this any easier. Just because I’m your cousin doesn’t mean I can save you the next time something like this happens. Plus your face was melting off when we got you out.” Levi was about to leave when Eren spoke.

“When you said that he wasn’t hurt when I found him, what did you mean?”

Levi glanced at him before turning away. “I can’t discuss the details with you.”

When he had left, Eren turned to Mikasa. “… Do you know any-”

She shook her head. “Sorry. I don’t.” Eren scratched his head.

“… Think Krista does? She works with the medical unit after all.”

“Eren, what’s going on?” Mikasa gave him a concerned look.

“I… augh… I’ve just have this bad feeling… and I should make sure he’s safe now… I was the one who found him. It’s my responsibility…”

\--

_“Jean!” nine-year-old Marco climbed on top of the boy who was still in bed. “Jean, it’s time to get up!” “_

_Noooo… it’s not even nine yet…”_

_“But the sun’s up!”_

_Jean opened one eye to look at him. “In the city, we don’t get up when the sun’s up.”_

_Marco blinked. “We did in the country side.”_

_“Same country side that still has mass amount of roosters waking them up?”_

_Marco chuckled nervously at the comment. “Uuuhhh, I dunno. I never heard any roosters where I lived.”_

_“Just lemme sleep,” Jean whined as he pulled the sheets over his head. Pouting, Marco tried to pull them back down._

_“WAKE UP!”_

_“UGH, just go and have breakfast without me…” Figuring that he wasn’t going to get up any time soon, Marco left._

_After a while he came back, carrying two plates with toast and eggs. One for him and one for Jean. “I brought both of our breakfast so we can eat together, okay?”_

_Jean groaned. “Thanks… I guess.” He stayed in bed for five more minutes before finally pulling himself out. “I’m getting up for the breakfast, not for you,” he stated as his cheeks flushed red. Marco laughed._

_-_

_16-year-old Marco stumbled as he felt a slap come across his face. He held his face and looked at Jean. “Why the hell were you out of bed before me?”_

_“I-I got up early and figured I could get breakfast ready… I tried to wake you earlier…” Jean growled and grabbed Marco’s arm, pulling him close to his face._

_"Listen to me, right now. From now on, when you wake up, you will wait for me to wake up before getting out of bed, and I’ll get up when I feel like getting up. Understand?” When Marco didn’t answer immediately, Jean tightened his grip on the freckled boy’s arm, threatening to break it. “UNDERSTAND?!”_

_Marco flinched at the pain and whimpered, “Yes, I understand, I’m sorry.”_

_“Tch, moron.” Jean released his grip and turned. Marco massaged the area Jean was holding just now._

_He had moved in with Jean a few weeks ago, and his temper had became more aggressive… Marco glanced at the direction Jean went it, and saw him go up the stairs again. Hugging himself, he turned to the oatmeal that he had placed at the table for the both of them, and wondered if he should just throw it out. He went to the kitchen to clean up whatever was in there. After a few minutes, while he was at the sink, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist._

_“ ‘M sorry babe. I was worried you left… like my parents…” Hearing Jean’s voice made Marco feel guilty about what he did. He placed down the bowl he was washing and held his arms._

_“No… it’s alright… I’m going to keep my promise, I swear.”_

\--

“…co… Marco, wake up.” Hearing Jean, Marco stirred and opened his eyes.

“Uh, what?” He looked over to Jean, who had his hand on his shoulder.

“We’re here.” He unbuckled himself and got out, Marco following suit. As soon as he saw the new apartment, he nearly fell over. It was big. Very big. He didn’t want to know how much it would cost. Jean saw him staring at the building dumbfounded and sighed, grabbing Marco by his hand and led him inside. “We got a place on floor eight, alright?”

“A-Alright,” Marco responded, trying to hurry up. They went inside and got on the elevator. As soon as the door was closed, Jean held Marco’s face.

“Listen to me carefully. I’ll be wandering around the area a bit, just to be a bit more familiar. Until I’ve got a general idea of the place, you’re going to stay inside, all right? I don’t want anything bad to happen to you just because you didn’t know anything about where you went.”

Marco nodded. “Yeah.” As soon as the elevator bell went off and opened at the eighth floor, Jean hauled Marco out.

“Okay,” He pulled his phone out and checked something. “Our place is down on the left, number 810.” They continued down and arrived there. Jean pulled a card out from his pocket and ran it down the door. It gave a small whir and opened. Shuffling the card back into his pocket, he pulled Marco in. “Here we are, our new home.” Marco stared at the inside in amazement. It all seemed very expensive. He was so entranced by it that he didn’t notice Jean walking up behind him.

He nearly jumped when he felt Jean hold his hips close to him. “Wanna check out the bedroom?” He nibbled on Marco’s nape as he finished the question.

Marco tried to keep quiet, before saying, “Sure.”

Jean pushed him along down past the new dining room and hallway. “Don’t worry, this will be fun, I promise~”

_Don’t fight it, just keep it up and don’t do anything stupid._

Jean led him to what he guess was their bedroom. “Go on.” Marco opened the door and walked in. Their bed was twice the size of the one they had before. Marco heard Jean close the door, followed by the rustling of clothing. He looked at him, and saw him removing his top. “Get on the bed,” Jean ordered as he discarded the shirt onto the floor.

“Yes.”

Jean chuckled.

Marco climbed onto the bed, turning over so he was facing Jean. Jean smirked and approached him, and seized the shirt he was wearing. “Don’t worry, I’m going to take good care of you.” Marco nodded, and Jean proceeded with taking off his clothing. As soon as he was done, Jean looked down on Marco, examining him. He leaned down on Marco, lowering himself to Marco’s chest, “Tell me whom you belong to.” He licked Marco’s chest possessively, making Marco shiver and grip the sheets underneath him, hoping Jean would take it as excitement.

“Y-you, Jean.” Jean hummed.

“Why?”

“Because…” He swallowed quietly before continuing. “… You were nice enough to take me in and let me stay.” It was true. Even though he was the one who promised to stay, it was Jean who was taking care of him. Marco had to obey Jean. He didn’t want Jean to make him leave. No one else would care for him.

… No one real anyway.

“And?” Jean pulled himself up to look directly down at Marco, who knew what Jean wanted to hear from him.

“… And I love the way you fuck me. I love how you mark me as yours, and only yours.”

Hearing Marco say it out loud made Jean smile. “That’s right, and nothing will come between us from now on.” He kissed Marco, forcing his tongue into his mouth. Marco allowed him, trying to return it.

_Nothing will come between us. Ever._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long, been stuck with studying for finals and shit XP  
> Also, I want to mention that this AU is a futuristic type, with technology similar to the kind in NGE.  
> Once again, comments are appreciated :D  
> -  
> AAACCCKKKK, JUST REALIZED THAT THIS THING WAS RIDDLED WITH ERRORS, BOTH GRAMATICALLY AND PLOT WISE QAQ  
> IF YOU SEE ANYMORE ERRORS/CONFUSION LET ME KNOW PLEASE!!  
> -  
> Added a detail in this chapter, due to a sudden urge.

Marco stared at the door, sitting on the new couch. Jean was going to be home soon. It had been 10 days since they had came to their new home, and Jean was still examining where it would be safe for Marco to go. He had not told him anything regarding that. Several movers came over the last few days, only when Jean was home though. Yesterday, Jean had Marco stay in his room as the movers brought something. Part of him dreaded what that something was. He ran his hands up and down his arms in an attempt to calm himself.

_It’s not that… Jean’s returning to the kind person he was… he… he would have gotten rid of those things… right?_

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door whir open. He stood up as soon as Jean walked in. “Hey Jean. How was it?” Marco smiled, hoping that his concern would go unnoticed.

“Hm, it was alright.” Jean brushed past him, and Marco’s nose caught the smell of cigarette smoke. He saw Jean shuffle his pocket and pulled out a pack. Marco bit his lip as he watched Jean light one and started smoking. He hated the smell of it.

He had once asked Jean not to smoke in their home… Jean yelled at him, telling Marco that he would not be giving any orders to him, and threatened to lock him up in the basement, which he said “It wont smell like cigarettes. That’s what you want, right?”

Marco contemplated if he should ask Jean to not smoke indoors. He was afraid on some scale that Jean would lash out, and Marco didn’t want that, plus he had to obey Jean. But, he was getting better at his temper, so there shouldn’t be a problem, right? He was about to decide when Jean spoke.

“I have a general idea of some places that you can go. I’ll write them down and give you a map. There's a park down a few blocks that you can go to, only until 5 though.” He let out a puff of smoke as he paused. “I’ll need to go out for business soon though, possibly tomorrow.”

“That’s fine…” Marco rubbed his arms as he replied, deciding that he should keep quiet. Jean turned to face him.

“What?” He frowned, setting an alarm off in Marco’s head. “That tone of your voice, what’s with it?”

“It’s nothing important, I promise,” Marco said instantly.

-

Jean watched Marco carefully. He watched the freckled boy shuffle, obviously trying to hide something. He then noticed how he was hesitating to inhale through his nose.

_Oh. That’s right. He doesn’t like the smoke._

He glanced to the cigarette he was holding… Jean felt in the mood… for a game. It’s been a while since he gave Marco any punishments anyway. “Hey,” he smiled and held the cigarette out to Marco, “Take it.”

Marco blinked in confusion and asked “Huh?”

“C’mon, just for a little while.” Jean walked up to Marco and held his chin before forced the cigarette into the opening between his lips. Marco yelped in surprise, and Jean watched him to see if he would try to protest. He didn’t. Good. Jean would hate to have to show him his place, after all of his hard work. He had all of his toys over now, and no reason why none of them could be used. “Take a small drag.” Marco did as he was told, and immediately started to choke on the smoke. Jean drew the cigarette away and watched Marco crumple onto the floor as he coughed violently. It was noisy… but to his surprise, he didn’t mind it all too much.

_Nathan must be getting to me._

Jean looked at Marco’s face as he placed his cigarette in his mouth once more. It was flushed red and tears were starting to form as his airways tried to clear themselves. He was so cute like this. He loved it when Marco’s body was forced to its limit. The way he would struggle against himself, it amused him. He was like a helpless baby animal, not realizing what his situation was exactly. “Huh, you really don’t like smoke, do you?”

Marco tried to speak past his coughing. “N-no, _hack_ , I’m sor – _ick_ – sorry…” Jean took his hand and pulled him up as he went towards the couch and took Marco down with him as he sat, positioning him on his lap.

“It’s fine.” He kissed Marco’s forehead which was returned with a small nuzzle, and the coughing came to a gradual stop.

Jean raked his eyes over Marco. His eyes landed on the belt that held up his pants. Not hesitating, his hands wandered down and unbuckled them. Marco gave him a confused look. “I have a present for you,” Jean explained, “But I need to remove these to give it to you~” He put his cigarette in the ashtray that was to the side as he slipped his hands under the waistband of Marco’s underwear and pulled them down with his pants. Not taking them off, just so that Marco was exposed, both front and back.

He then rolled Marco so he was lying on his back and pulled out lube he kept in his pants. Jean applied some to his fingers and pressed two into Marco, instantly finding his bundle of nerves which made him moan slightly. Marco looked at Jean, perhaps wondering why he hadn’t taken his clothes off.

_I can’t believe how naïve he is._

Jean pumped his fingers a few more times before drawing them out. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a box and opened it. Jean pulled out a medium sized vibrator attached to a garter belt that he had gotten when he was out. Hitch gave him the number for one of the clients that was in the business of manufacturing the stuff and ordered a custom made one. Waving it in front of Marco, Jean smirked.

“Came with a remote, suppose to be able to turn on over cellular data, regardless of distance.” After drizzling a small amount of lube onto the toy, he slipped into Marco, who gasped as it entered. It was much larger than two fingers, but watching Marco squirm thrilled Jean so much. Jean made sure it was inside him and strapped the garter  onto his leg. He pulled Marco’s pants up and fastened the belt back on before pulling out the remote.

“Let’s give it a test run, shall we?”

Marco’s eyes were fixed on Jean’s hand as his thumb pressed down on one of the buttons. Marco whined loudly as he arched his back, his eyes immediately shut and gripped one of the couch’s pillows. Jean was, once again, not bothered with hearing him cry out.

_Yeah, Nathan’s getting to me._

He fixed his gaze on Marco and pulled him back up to his chest. As soon as Marco was up, he realized that he was making noise.

“I _–aahh–_ I’m sorry Jea~” He was cut off as Jean pressed the remote again, putting the vibrator on a higher setting, making him squeal and cover his mouth.

“It’s fine,” Jean hummed. “I’ll take it out before bed, alright?” Marco nodded, biting down on his hand. “Answer out loud.” He held up the remote, threatening to increase the settings again. This was different from how he usually punished Marco, but it was still fun.

“Y-yes, I understand,” Marco whimpered, his eyes starting to tear up again. Hearing his response, Jean left the remote untouched. “Good.” He held Marco’s wrists and examined them for a moment. They looked thinner than from what they looked like two weeks ago. Looks like Marco was staying on his diet.

“What’s your weight down to Marco?”

“Uh, the scale read 145 pounds this morning.” He was 154 pounds when he started. It was decent progress. Jean then examined his neck, which Marco was trying to keep in position as he tried to hold himself together under the vibrator’s assault. There was still some fat there.

“I want you to loose some more weight, until this,” he emphasized the fat that was near Marco’s chin, “Is gone. Got it?”

“Yes Jean.” Jean smirked at Marco’s response. He pushed Marco to the side.

“I need to make a few calls to my boss, so I can let you know how long I’m going to be out. If you behave well enough, I’ll let you go out while I’m gone, okay?”

“Y-yeah.” Marco flinched under the toy’s influence. Jean stared at him, deciding he wanted to see the next setting’s effect. He pressed the remote and Marco instantly bit his lower lip to stop himself from moaning. Chuckling, he turned and headed to the bedroom, leaving Marco shivering on the couch.

As soon as he closed the door, Jean pulled out his phone and called Nathan, who actually picked up before the 5th ring. “Hey Jean, how you doin’?”

“Alright, Marco hasn’t given me too much trouble. Now I just need to find a way to make sure there are no more excuses for him to go out.”

“You callin’ about that order?”

“Yeah, what are the specifics?”

“Female biologically, black hair, flat chested, 17 years old, clean, and small. And this one is ordering at least 50.” Jean nodded. His highest score in a single order so far has been 60, so it should be rather easy.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, client said that the deadline is a week from tomorrow, and that he’s willin’ to pay an extra grand for every extra ten.”

“Great.”

“Hitch is getting the supplies ready. Do you want to come over and get your stuff, or is that too risky?”

“Nah, I’ll keep it in the car. Marco won’t be using it anytime soon, so it’s free.”

-

Marco gripped the white pillow in his hand as he tried to stand up, but nearly doubled over. The vibrator inside him was getting uncomfortable, but Jean wanted him to keep there until bed. He felt sick from having to take a smoke earlier, and the toy in him wasn’t helping…

_This is… similar to what happened when I moved in with him…_

Catching his thoughts, he shook his head, trying to clear them. No, Jean was getting better, so there shouldn’t be a reason for him to think about the past. Things were going to improve; Jean just needed time to tone down on his kinks, that’s all. He forced himself up and went over to the table where he kept extra paper. He pulled out a few blank sheets and grabbed a pencil. “I just need to calm down…” He started to drag his hand across the paper, not paying any attention to what he was actually doing.

After ten minutes, Marco felt the vibrator turn off, and turned to see Jean. “H-hey…” Marco stood up, covering up the sheet he was marking.

Jean walked over to him. “I need to go out and get a few things for work, but I’ll be back soon.” He pulled Marco into a hug, which he returned and buried his face into the nape of Jean’s neck.

“Sure.”

Jean pulled away and kissed him. “Bye. And don’t even think of taking it out.” Jean finished the last part while waving the remote. As soon as he was out, Marco’s eyes caught sight of the paper from earlier.

He studied it carefully to see what he did to it. Those ears… They were pointing outward. Marco raised it to his face, not sure if he was seeing it right. The picture also featured a hooked nose and bared teeth. “What…”

The giant. He drew the giant.

Marco shivered as he looked at the image before proceeding to tear it apart. He didn’t want to think about it. The giant wasn’t real, the kindness it showed him wasn’t real, so why was he torment himself like this? Tossing the shreds into the trashcan, Marco grabbed the book that was sitting on the desk and retreated to his bedroom.

 -

Eren fidgeted with the pencil that he was holding as he stared out the window, not paying any attention to Hanji as they were explaining the new study procedure. He had been inattentive with most of the things going on lately. Eren did try, but his thoughts kept wandering back to Dots, to “Marco Bodt”. 

“-Ren, Eren!”

He turned his gaze to Hanji. “Huh?”

“Can you repeat back to me how we’re going to test your fine motor skills?”

“… Uhhhh….”

Hanji laughed, “It’s fine, I’ll just pair you up with Reiner.” Eren peeled over to Reiner, who was sitting next to his boyfriend Bertholdt. “Bertholdt,” Hanji continued, “You’ll have to be paired with Ymir.” Eren watched as Bert turned his head to Ymir, who waved at him, and let out a high pitched moan.

“Um, Squad Leader Zoe,” Reiner stood up, “I think it would be better if we paired Eren with Ymir.”

“Yeah, that’s a great idea, I still need to kick his ass for trying to steal Krista from me,” Ymir commented, and Eren couldn’t tell whether or not she was joking. She was Krista’s girl friend, and when he was trying to use Krista to find information about Marco, Ymir caught him and thought he was trying to hit on her. So she ratted him out on Levi. Only to find out she barely knew much.

“Nope, the last test shows that you an Eren have better compatibility.”

_Oh thank god._

-

**I take that back.**

Eren was currenly pinned under at least a thousand tons of rubble, which was the result of what he had coined as “Mega-sized stone Jenga”, in his shifted form. Apparently, the goal of the exercise was to move several loads of building material from sets that were made so that they would have to be careful with how they would be moved, like regular Jenga. Eren and Reiner had been doing fine until they had to start going to the bottom of the pile. It just took one tug at a slab that was sticking out and everything fell over. Reiner was moving the oversized bricks off of him.

Tests like this had become very common for Eren over the last two years… It all started when he found out about being able to “shift”. To “shift” meant that you had the ability to turn into what the military had dubbed as “titans”, human-like giants. From what Eren understood, “shifters” had started appearing after the last nuclear war from 50 years ago. Their numbers were very small though, one out of 10000 chances a person would be one.  The government ordered that all identified shifters were to be surveyed by the military, to see if anything… odd happened to them.

Even though joining the military remained optional, Eren had entered boot camp as soon as he was able to two years ago. It was his dream to be a soldier. His adopted sister, Mikasa, joined as well, just to keep an eye on him. Levi, Mikasa’s genetic cousin, had been in the military long before either one of them joined. Eren was more than positive that he pulled a few strings to be their superior.

Just as Reiner was getting the last few clunks of rubble off, Eren started to scream, feeling that painful burning in his neck.

**No, no, not again noooo…**

Whenever that part started hurting, that meant that he was in that form for too long. Too long was defined when he was incapable of getting out of the body by himself, and would start to fuse to it. Eren felt Reiner instantly yank him out of the rubble, not paying attention to how it was being smashed under all of the movement. He braced himself, knowing what was coming next. The flesh of his nape was torn open, pulling him out. Eren looked over to Reiner and saw him holding the removed flesh in between his teeth.

“Th-thanks, Reiner,” he waved his hand as he tried to sit up. He then heard Mikasa calling out to him.

“OH GOD, EREN!” She was running up to him, and started to climb the gigantic body that was beginning to smolder.

“Mikasa, I’m fine…”

“This is the second time this week you were in there too long, you are not fine!” Growling, Eren proceeded to stand but stumbled over, falling straight to the ground. Which for him was about 5 feet. “EREN!!”

_My luck is the worst._

Eren then heard what was more than likely laughter from Reiner, and Ymir, who was watching from her own Jenga pile in her titan form as well. “Shut up,” Eren muttered as Mikasa jumped down and helped him up and pulled him away so she could talk to him in private.

“Eren,” Mikasa brushed his shirt off, careful not to burn herself on the remaining titan flesh that was currently burning away while clinging to Eren, “What is it?” He looked away. “… It’s that boy from before, isn’t it?”

_… Nailed it._

Eren sighed before scratching his head. “… I just don’t think it was the right thing to just let him go back… Levi isn’t the type to let that happen –”

“He’s not the type to let that happen to someone who he can help,” Mikasa cut him off, “But if it’s out of his hands, then there’s nothing he can do.”

“You don’t think it was a little suspicious?”

“… Eren, just forget about it. It’s not like you’re ever going to see him again, let alone know where he lives.”

-

“Armin, please?”

“No! What if we get caught?!”

“I’ll take all of the blame, just please!” Eren tugged at Armin’s sleeve, hoping it would help. He was trying to get Armin to hack into the database and find out where Marco lived.

“This could definitely count as stalking, you realize that, right?!” Armin was starting to sweat, and proceeded to push Eren out of his room.

Eren braced himself against the door frame. “So,” he growled, “If it turns out that he was having some problem that was life threatening and we just happened to have sent him back, I wouldn’t be able to take some blame for it?” Hearing him made Armin stop and think.

“… Give me a moment.” Armin walked over to his bed and stood there, not saying anything. After five minutes, he turned to his laptop and picked it up. “We need to get to the main computer system, it registers all civilians who enter and leave.”

“THANK YOU.” Eren instantly pulled Armin into a hug before dashing down the hall.

“Wrong way.” He quickly turned on his heels and ran back to Armin.

They snuck out of the building they were currently in before dashing over to the intel-building. Eren carefully opened one of the windows up. “Don’t let anyone see you, or they’ll tell Levi.”

“Got it.”

Lifting Armin up, he pushed him in before pulling himself in. He instantly saw several computer towers in the room. “First try.” He watched as Armin hooked his computer up to one and started to download several files. “Gimme a sec…” Just then, a voice that didn’t belong to either of them spoke.

“What are you two doing?”

Eren turned back to the window and saw Reiner looking at him, with Ymir, Krista, Bertholdt, and Mikasa behind him. “… FUCK.”

“Hey, don’t let us stop you,” Ymir raised her hands in mock-self defense, “Just gimme a few hundred bucks and we’re good.”

Armin was about to say something when his computer made a binging sound. Curious, Mikasa leapt in and walked over to the laptop and looked at it. It showed a photo ID of Marco. She looked over at Eren, unamused.

“… You do realize this could be considered stalking.”

“AHHHGGHH… Please don’t tell Levi.”

“… Here’s the deal. You can look at his info, but after that, you stop digging up details about his life.” Eren was about to protest the last part when Armin pulled his ear.

“Eren, this is your only chance at finding out anything.” After Armin released him, he grumbled out “Fine.”

“Good. And everyone else is going to stick around so you can’t make any complaints later.”

She turned back to the laptop and picked it up. “Huh, says he lives in the interior of Sina.”

“What’s a boy from there doing all the way out here?” Ymir tilted her head, intrigued.

She glanced over to Krista, who glanced back at her. “… I don’t know anything about that,” Krista admitted, looking ashamed.

“Hold on,” Mikasa studied the screen a bit more. “Only recently though, it says that he changed his residence address around the time Eren found him.”

“… So, he lived somewhere else before the move?”

“Yeah, the Rose-section of the exterior.” Everyone went quiet and tried to process the information.

“How the hell did that move happen? Did he get a job in the interior or something?”

Mikasa looked back at the screen. “It says here he’s unemployed, currently enrolled to an online school… Wait. He lives with someone…”

“That’s probably the person who picked him up,” Krista commented as she scratched her head. Eren tried to look over Mikasa’s shoulder to see the rest of the information. Under ‘residence’ and ‘dorm mate’, there as a picture of a boy, possibly a little older than him, with two-toned hair, the very top of it a greyish-blonde. Right next to it read “Name: Jean Kirschtein”.

He heard it before. When Marco was unconscious and sleep-talking… Eren tried to shove Mikasa and take the laptop.

“Eren, what are you doing?”

“I’ve heard that name before, Marco was sleeptalking and he was acting like he was going to be hurt or something.”

“What, Jean Kirschtein?”

“Well, only the first na-” The two of them were suddenly interrupted by Bertholdt.

“Say that name again?” Eren and Mikasa turned their heads to look at Bertholdt, and saw him, Ymir and Reiner had a look of disbelief on their faces. “Please.”

“Jean Kirschtein,” Eren replied, getting a feeling that was worse than earlier. “Why?” Bert looked at Ymir and Reiner before all three of them looked at everyone else.

“He’s a sex offender.”

-

“Excuse us?” Krista peeked into one of the private rooms in the medical ward, where Moblit was standing over a blonde girl who was hooked up to several machines. “Can we have a minute with her alone?” Moblit looked over her and saw everyone else behind her.

“… No problem.” He got up and left.

Bertholdt walked over and place his hand on the unconscious girl’s head. “Hey Annie, how are you?” He glanced at her, as if he was hoping she would wake up. Eren glanced at Reiner, who crossed his arms before explaining.

“Annie was visiting some relatives a few years ago. The Jean guy started to hang out with her. She called us a few times, saying everything was fine at first… but after a while… she was telling us about him trying to control her in everyway. It got so bad to the point she bought a gun…” He looked over to Ymir, who continued for him.

“… After that, police in Rose found her in a quarry outside of town. They brought her back here, and there were signs of physical sexual assault, and forced drug overdose. The dosage she got was so huge that a normal person would have died.” Eren looked over to Annie, in complete horror. He always knew she was here, at least a year before he enlisted.

“… Did anyone try to get the guy? And why didn’t Levi do anything if he was here the other day?”

“This was before Erwin or Levi had any authority. The person in charge of the investigation did try to question him, but… someone pulled a few strings and made it impossible to reach him. The relatives were also cut off from him.”

Mikasa looked over to Annie and back at Eren. “… So, there’s a chance that whatever this Jean did to her… he’s doing or will do to the other boy.”

Reiner nodded. “That information you got, it has the address where he lives, right?”

“Yeah.”

He turned to Eren. “Let’s make a deal. Bert and I will take you up there after making a few arraignments with Erwin so you can check on the Bodt boy, while the three of us,” He gestured to Ymir and Bertholdt, “Get our hands on Jean.”

Eren looked at him. “You sure?”

“Eren, one of the things that we have been wanting to do the most was make the bastard pay. This could be our only chance.”

Eren stayed quiet before nodding. “Okay.”

_I can’t let Marco get hurt. I have to make sure he’s safe. I can't mess up. Not again. Not this time._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals are finally over TTvTT  
> Last chapter was shorter than intended, so I may or may not edit it... probably not though, since I'm lazy.  
> If you guys see any grammatical errors, feel free to let me know!

Marco felt the bed move and opened his eyes, squinting as they adjusted to the light that came from the lamp. He saw Jean getting up.

“Good Morning.”

Jean turned to face him. “Morning.” He opened the nightstand up and pulled out some clothes. “I’ll be gone for a week, but if I finish my work early, I’ll be back before then. Kind of doubt it though.”

“That’s fine,” Marco assured him as he tried to sit up, but stopped, wincing. They had sex last night, and Jean was a bit too rough… again. He carefully moved his legs so he could massage them, hoping it would help. It… didn’t hurt as much as it usually did when Jean was rough, so that was a good sign. And there was no tearing down at his entrance either.

Jean finished buttoning his shirt and noticed what Marco was doing. “Little sore there, babe?” Marco turned back to Jean and chuckled nervously.

“Yeah…”

Jean moved closer and extended Marco’s legs, testing them. Feeling pain going through him, he bit the inside of his mouth to keep quiet. “Bet you’re going to have trouble walking for a few days,” Jean teased before releasing his hold on Marco. “Which is pretty hot. Too bad I won’t be around for it.” Marco didn’t respond, but forced himself to smile. “So,” Jean straightened himself up and walked towards the door, “You can go out, but only from 9 to 6, and I’ll be video-calling you by then. Be sure to pick up.” He turned back to face Marco. “And only go to the areas I listed for you,” He added while pointing at a sheet of paper that was laying on the nightstand. “And don’t go to my work room, kind of private business stuff in there.”

“Yes.”

Jean smirked and left the room.

Marco heard the front door open and close. Jean was gone now. Marco tried to get up from the bed, but stopped again. He turned to face the alarm clock. 6 AM. “I-I should just wait a bit… it’s not like I can go anywhere yet…” He chuckled to himself as he lied down on the bed again. “I’m so dumb. No wonder Jean would get fed up with me…” He covered his face his arm as he finished talking to himself. “He cares for me so much… and he hasn’t punished me ever since…” Marco hesitated to mention that day. He just wanted to forget about what happened to him.

_… It shouldn’t be a big deal if I’m not back in time to answer his call…_

He cringed at the thought. No. He won’t risk it. Not when Jean was getting better. He had to show Jean that he trusted him, and that Jean could trust him back.

-

“Are we there yet?”

“Ymir, I already told you five minutes ago, no,” Reiner growled as he drove the car at what Eren was positive at 80 mph, which was ten miles past the speed limit? Reiner had requested a brief leave from the fort, which Erwin authorized, and was driving a minivan, which seemed pretty old. Armin, Krista, and Bert had fallen asleep in the back – how did they managed to with Reiner’s driving, Eren had no idea, Ymir and Reiner were in the front seats, who were now arguing over who’s boyfriend/girlfriend is better, leaving Eren and Mikasa in the middle row. Mikasa watched him as he stared out the window, not really focused on anything.

“… Are you sure it’s worth it?”

“Huh?” Eren turned to face her.

“Seeing him again. Because even if he is in some kind of trouble, he may not be willing to leave whatever it is that is keeping him in it. We both know that.”

Eren bit his lip. “… This won’t end the same way it did for mom. I promise.”

She sighed. “It better not.”

\--

_“You gone out with any girls?”_

_14 year old Marco looked up from the ice cream cone he was eating and faced Jean. “A-Wha?” He felt his face turn bright red._

_“Girls. Boobs. Pussies.”_

_Marco chuckled before responding. “Ummmm… About that…” He shifted his gaze away from Jean, “I’m gay.” An uncomfortable silence filled the air._

_“… Hah?”_

_“I’m gay, meaning I like guys… I came out a year ago... ”_

_“… Figured you would be pansexual if you weren’t straight.”_

_“… You… aren’t bothered by it?”_

_Jean shrugged. “Nah, I work with several guys who are gay.” Marco smile, relieved that his friend wasn’t disgusted._ _“So have you gone out with any guys?”_

_Marco twirled his cone before replying. “… I was crushing on a boy back in Jinae, but he had a girlfriend…”_

_Jean clicked his tongue. “What a waste.”_

_“Huh?” “_

_Can’t think why anyone wouldn’t get a hard-on for you.” Marco didn’t respond. “That was a complement by the way.”_

_“O-oh…” His faced flushed red with embarrassment._

_Jean then pointed to his chin. “You got a little…” “Oh! Thanks.” Marco dug his free hand into his pocket to grab a napkin only for Jean to stop him._

_“I got it.” Marco was going to say something when Jean licked whatever was on his face off. Now Marco’s face was burning. Jean laughed at him. “You really are a virgin.”_

\--

“Ngg…” Marco woke up the second time that morning and looked at the alarm clock. 10:54 AM. He rolled off his stomach, forcing himself up. Marco winced as he did. “At least it doesn’t hurt as much as before… I should probably take some asprin.” He walked over to the bathroom and fished a bottle filled with blue pills from the cabinet. When he closed the cabinet door, he instantly noticed the bite marks and bruises on his neck. Marco watched his face in the mirror as it turned bright red. “I’m not going to be able to cover it up with any make up…” He pressed his fingers down on one of the bruised lightly and hissed. Marco swallowed the pills and went back to the bedroom to change into some clothes.

… Change? He wasn’t wearing anything. Marco tried laughing at his realization. He opened the drawer and pulled out a shirt and jeans. He looked at the shirt, wondering if he should wear something to cover more skin. It had been warm lately though, so that would probably draw attention.  Marco started to look around to see if there was anything else. While shoveling through his clothes, he found a turquois scarf that was relatively thin, but would be enough to cover his neck up without drawing attention. He wrapped it around his neck and headed for the door. Marco just had to get out for a while, especially since Jean was allowing him. At the door, he stopped and wondered if he should have breakfast.

_No. Jean wants me to loose a few more pounds._

He opened the door and left the apartment.

-

“We’re here.” Reiner pulled into an available spot that was across from the apartment that the GPS was showing as the address that they got from the database.

“FINALLY.” Ymir ripped out of her seat and scrambled outside. “FREE FROM BOY SWEAT.” As soon as she made her statement, she flopped down onto some grass. Everyone else got out and Krista ran over to check on her girl friend.

Eren turned to Reiner. “What now?”

“We see if the bastard’s here, and if not, we figure out his routine, at least to know when he will be.” Eren looked over to the building and noticed someone coming out.

It was Dots.

_Marco, his name is Marco, genius!_

Eren grabbed Reiner’s arm, who was getting ready to head to the building. “Wait. That’s Do… Marco coming out.” Everyone’s attention shifted and they all hid behind the van.

Bertholdt peeked over. “… He’s heading down the road.” Mikasa opened up the map that she was holding, tracing her fingers down to where she had drawn a circle around their destination. 

“Is it the one that goes behind the building?”

“Yeah.”

“It leads to a park nearby.” Eren then noticed that the attention had shifted to him.

“Alright then,” Reiner stood up and patted Eren on the back. “Buy us some time.”

“Huh?”

“This is what you wanted, right?” Ymir leaned in as she sneered. “To have some alone time with him?”

Realizing what she was suggesting, Eren felt his face flush red. “NOT LIKE THAT! I WANT TO MAKE SURE HE’S SAFE!!” He turned away before mumbling, “And given what I’ve heard so far about this Jean guy, I kind of doubt he is.”

“Look, just wanting to check on him, that’s fine, but we need you to distract him for a bit.” Eren processed the order for a moment before speaking.

“Why?”

Reiner sighed before ruffling his hair. “Eren, you do realize he could be like Jean, right?”

“He isn’t.”

“…You barely know him. And even if he isn’t, he may still try to protect him. Some people are just like that.” Eren growled. “Oh, take Mikasa and Armin with you.”

“Why?”

“To make sure you don’t do anything too dumb.”

-

Marco walked down the path and entered the park. It seemed pretty nice. He tried to keep away from the people that he spotted in a distance. Even though Jean had told him that it seemed safe enough, he was still wary of people. He was loosening his scarf up to adjust it quickly, since it was warmer than he imagined it would be. A strong wind kicked up, hitting him in the face. He and closed his eyes for a second when he felt the scarf blow out of his hold. “Ah!” He watched it as it was then taken to the left. “No, get back here!!” He instantly started running after it, hoping no one was looking at him.

_I don’t want them to see._

To his relief, Marco saw it land. Then, to his horror, he realized it was stuck in a tree. “… Shoot.” It was pretty tall, but climbing was a possibility. Not a safe one from the looks of it though. Marco bit his lip before proceeding to climb.

-

Eren scanned the park. “Don’t see him.”

Mikasa started to walk towards the right side of the park. “Lets split up. I’ll take the right, Armin, straight ahead, Eren, left.”

Eren did as he was told without complaining. Not like it would have made a difference. He turned and started walking. When he was further in, Eren tried to see if he could spot Marco anywhere. Nothing. “Fuck.” Not paying any real attention to where he was heading exactly, he stomped over to several trees.

-

Marco grasped at the trunk, desperate for balance. He glanced over to the scarf, hanging onto a branch that was further out than Marco would have liked. He tested the branch to see if it would support him. Feeling it bend under his foot, he withdrew and tried to reach out to grab it by stretching himself over. He just barely managed to pinch it when he slipped off the branch

-

Eren was under one of the trees when he heard a familiar yell. From above. “What the?” He looked up and saw someone falling right above him. He held his arms out to catch them… and they fell on his face, flattening him against the ground. The person instantly got up and Eren rolled over, wiping his face with his hand. Feeling something wet, he withdrew it and saw red all over his hand. His nose was bleeding. Eren turned back to the person, ready to yell at them. Whoever landed on him was straightening their scarf when they turned to face him.

It was Marco.

_...He’s prettier than I remember._

-

Marco was surprised that his landing didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. He scrambled up and tied the scarf back around his neck. As soon as he did, Marco realized why the fall didn’t hurt that much. He landed on someone. He turned around and saw a boy about his age, maybe a little younger, sitting on the ground, with dark brown hair… and a red, bleeding nose. “Oh! Oh my god!” He kneeled down and pulled out his handkerchief to hand to the boy. “I’m really sorry about this! I really am!”

The boy stared at him in a daze before noticing the offering. “Huh? Oh, it’s not too bad.”

“The lower half of your face is covered in blood!” Marco gently held the cloth to his face. “Take it. It’s fine, I have more.” Slowly, the brunette took it and continued pressing it to his nose.

“Thanks.”

Marco smiled, closer inspecting the boy. He then noticed the boy’s eyes. They were rather large… and green…

_His eye color… it’s almost like…_

Marco blinked in realization. It was similar to the giant’s eye color. That… wasn’t possible…

_Probably just a coincidence.  
_

He held out his hand for the boy to take and helped him back up. “I’m really sorry. Is there anyway I can make it up–” Marco was cut off by someone.

“Eren, there you are – AAAAHHH! YOU’RE BLEEDING!!” A short blonde boy was running towards the brunette and reacted to seeing the red that was smeared all over his face.

“Armin, I’m fine – Oh great, Mikasa’s coming.” He was then knocked over by what looked like a blur to Marco.

“EREN!” ‘Armin’ ran over to the pile that was right next to Marco, which consisted of both the fallen ‘Eren’ and a black haired girl, possibly Japanese judging by her looks, who was trying to clean Eren’s face with her scarf.

“Eren, what happened, who did this to you?!”

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I JUST CAUGHT HIM!” He pointed at Marco, prompting both the blond and the girl to look at him. He flinched in panic.

“I-it’s my fault, I’m really sorry,” Marco blurted out instantly.

Mikasa looked at him before looking back at Eren. “You need medical attention.”

“NO I DON’T! QUIT TREATING ME LIKE A FIVE YEAR OLD FOR GOD’S SAKE!”

“That’s what you basically are, Eren,” Armin remarked to him, making Eren’s cheeks flush red. Armin turned to look at Marco. “Are you okay?”

Marco chuckled nervously. “Y-yeah, I’m really sorry about all of this. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?”

Armin thought for a moment. “… Take him out for lunch? Eren tends to get cranky when he’s hungry.”

“NO I DON’T!!” Eren’s face was now entirely red, and it wasn’t just the bloody nose. Marco shuffled, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the proposal.

_You just need to be back at the apartment before 6. Just take him to one of the cafes that Jean said you can go to…_

Jean. Would he be all right with this?

_… He’ll understand. I’m just making it up for falling on him. I’m not going to eat much, if anything._

“Sure.” He turned to Eren. “I’m pretty sure that they have a café near by. Is that okay?”

Eren nodded. “Y-yeah.”

“We’ll be here~” Armin smiled and Mikasa nodded to affirm him. Marco and Eren started waking down the path, with the other two watching them as they did.

“By they way, my name is Marco.”

“… Eren.”

“I know.”

-

Eren was surprised that Armin was making him go with Marco alone. Probably just to make things less awkward… Unless they were planning on following them. He wiped his face again with the handkerchief, and as soon as he pulled it back, there were no signs of any fresh blood. Good. His nose healed.

“I… uh…” Eren turned to Marco, who was looking and him in a funny way. He must have noticed.

“Oh, yeah, it wasn’t that bad, but those two tend to over react. Especially Mikasa.”

“Oh, alright…”

Eren smiled. “Guess my face is still a mess though?”

“Y-yeah, kind of.” Marco gave a small smile before he turned his gaze to the ground.

“But I’ve seen worse.”

His words were faint, barely audible, probably intending to keep Eren from hearing them. He did, but pretended not to. He hated to admit it, but it was too early to do anything for Marco yet. If he rushed things, he could just end up scaring him away. Levi had already told him that Marco had no memory of what happened that night.

_But… I’ll keep you safe… And I won’t hurt you. I promised you that… even if you don’t remember, I’ll keep it._


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick FYI, i did change chapter 6 a bit. I put the explanation in the notes at the top.  
> Critique is appreciated, if you guys are confused/see any error, let me know, Kay?

Marco peered out of the corner of his eye and watched Eren as he trudged along besides him. He felt that Eren wasn’t an immediate danger to him, but he felt a feeling of dread stir inside him. What if he tried to do something? If he did… would he be able to run without causing a commotion? The last thing he wanted was to be the center of attention. He grasped the necklace Jean gave him to give him some comfort.

_Try not to do anything that will give him an advantage over you._

“Okay, this is it.” Marco led Eren into a small café,  “I’ll grab us a table, and you can clean your face in the bathroom.”

“Okay, thanks Dots.”

Marco blinked. “… Dots?” As soon as he repeated what Eren said, Eren turned in him in disbelief.

“… Did I just called you that out loud?”

Marco tried to hide his grin at Eren’s expression. “Sort of?”

A look of horror overtook his face. “OH MY GOD.”

“It’s fine though!” Marco gave a small laugh. Eren still turned away in utter embarrassment.

“S’ not funny.” He strode over to the restrooms, leaving an amused Marco. Eren reminded him of Jean a bit… when they were younger, Jean was just as awkward with socializing with others. Seeing the similarity gave him some peace of mind.

-

“I can’t believe I called him that out loud!!” Eren whined to his reflection in the restroom. “This is the one time I wish Armin and Mikasa trailed me.” Just as he said that, his phone went off. He pulled it out of his pants and answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.” Reiner. “We called Mikasa earlier, she said Armin had you go with Marco alone?”

Eren cringed. “Yeah. Kind of wish they didn’t though… how are you guys doing?”

He heard Reiner grunt before replying. “Not too good. Turns out Jean left early this morning for a trip, and the doorman has no idea when he will be back.”

“So, now what?”

“… How does he seem to you?”

“Huh?”

“Marco.”

“… He’s definitely hiding something, but I don’t think it’s something he himself is doing…” There was a long silence following.

“… If I told you that the only way we could figure out when Jean would be through Marco, what would you do?”

“… You want me to get information from him?”

“Yeah.”

_Splendid. I’m expected to manipulate the person who I promised not to hurt. That’s great._

Eren gripped the sink to support himself as he leaned over. “… I’ll call back.” He hit the ‘end call’ button on his phone and glanced at his reflection. They had no idea when the scumbag would be back, and the only person who would have any idea was the one who Eren promised not to hurt. He had no idea how Marco would react if someone tried to do anything to Jean, especially through him. He didn’t know enough of their relationship besides the fact they are dormmates.

“… What should I do, Mom?”

-

Marco was scanning the menu carefully when he felt his stomach growl. He grimaced at the thought of eating. He ate recently… when was the last time he ate? He didn’t have breakfast this morning. Did he have dinner last night? Marco glanced to the side, trying to remember.

… No. He had eaten lunch, and when Jean came back, he had Marco confined to their bedroom. So, he basically went 24 hours without eating.

_Should I be worried?_

He always hears stories about girls who do crash diets and end up anorexic and go to the hospital, sometimes even die.

… That wasn’t going to happen to him. Jean would know better than forcing him to go that far.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw Eren walk towards the table. “Hey, I ordered us some water, is that okay?”

“Uh, yeah.” He plopped down into the chair facing Marco. “Is there anything you recommend?”

“… Oh, actually, this is my first time here. I moved to the area recently, and I was just getting around to exploring a few places.” Marco scratched his head in embarrassment.

“Oh…” Eren lifted the menu to his face and gazed at it.

“… Do you live nearby, or are you visiting someone?” Marco asked, trying to make the situation less awkward.

“O-oh, I was dragged along with several friends for a break from school. We just arrive today.”

“… Today?”

“Yep.”

“Wow, from where?”

“… Shiganshina.”

Shiganshina. Where did Marco hear that before? Figuring it wasn’t much, he smiled before asking, “How long was the trip?”

“Uhhh, at the legal speed limit it should have taken at least half a day….” Eren grimaced before glancing away. “Thanks to the driver though, it took six hours.” Hearing that gave Marco and uneasy feeling.

_What kind of people is he with?_

“Sirs, have you made up your mind?” Marco turned to face a waitress with auburn hair held in a pony tail as she placed two glasses on the table.

“Uh, not me. Eren?”

“Uh, I’ll have the potato soup please.”

“Alright, should I bring two bowls for you and your boyfriend to split?”

Hearing the word ‘boyfriend’ made both Marco and Eren turn bright red. “We’re not together!” Eren exclaimed, as he turned even redder than Marco.

The waitress giggled. “That’s too bad. You two look cute together.” And with that, she turned on her heels and walked away.

Marco couldn’t bring himself to face Eren, who was burying his face into his elbow. And the fact that several people were looking at them after Eren’s outburst wasn’t helping at all. After what seemed to be ten minutes, when people had forgotten him and Eren, he heard Eren mumble something in his sleeve.

“Ruifomone?”

“Huh? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Eren tried to peek out of his elbow. “Are you with someone?”

Marco remained silent before answering. “… Yes.”

Eren’s face was returning to a normal color as he sat up. “I guess that person must be very lucky then…” An awkward silence filled the air before Marco spoke again.

“So, what about you?”

“Uh, no. Single since the day I was born. Never really thought about being in a relationship with anyone.”

Huh. Marco would have figured he might have been with either one of the two people who he saw earlier. “… Although four of the friends I was dragged along with are in relationships, but two of them may be a little TOO open about it…” Eren then muttered something about accidentally walking in on them 'doing it' with their partner, multiple times. Marco tried to smile, then tried to change the subject.

“Um, so I guess your parents were alright with you going someplace without them.”

Eren went silent. Then after a minute, “I don’t have them.”

“… Oh. I’m sorry.” There was an uneasy tension following. Marco bit his lip before speaking. “I don’t have any either.”

Eren looked up at him. “… Guess we have a few things in common, huh?”

Marco tried to smile, “Yeah, although the similarity is unpleaseant,” he replied. He rubbed his neck before continuing. “So, do you live with the people who you came with then?”

“Yeah. Mikasa is actually my sister.”

Marco blinked. “Sister? I don’t want to sound rude, but you two don’t look related.”

“Yeah, my parents adopted her before they died.”

He was about to ask something else when his phone went off. He pulled it out and saw Jean’s number. That was unexpected. Marco bit the inside of his cheek before turning to Eren. “I’m sorry, I’ll be back.” Marco stood up and walked to the bathroom for privacy. As soon as he was in and locked the door, he answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Took you five rings for you to answer.” He didn’t sound mad, just impatient.

“Sorry, I was talking to someone-”

“WHAT? Why?” That part sounded mad.

“… I… I was climbing a tree in the park, and I fell… I accidentally landed on someone... and…” He swallowed before continuing. “I… decided to take him for lunch… as an apology.”

“Him.”

“Yes.”

“… What’s his name?”

“E-Eren.”

“Last name.”

“… I… I don’t know.” He heard Jean growl on the other end.

“I want you back at the apartment by 2:30 today. I need to talk with you about this later.”

Marco felt his stomach sink. Whenever Jean said he had to talk to him about something he did, that was usually followed by a punishment when he was back.

_Please no. He was starting to get better with his temper. Please don’t let it go like it did back in Rose._

“Don’t have any lunch, understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“…Anyway.” Jean continued, “There’s a delivery that should be arriving in four days, I want you to get it incase I’m not there when it arrives. Do not open it.”

“Alright.”

“Thank you.” The last part sounded less angry, giving Marco some relief. He was about to speak when he heard Jean’s phone disconnect. Marco clutched his phone.

_He just needs time and some help. And you owe him your life, since he saved you and let you stay with him._

“… I just need to try harder…” He clutched his necklace as he assured himself. “Besides, I promised I would stay. As long as he wanted. I can’t run away now.”

-

The waitress came back with the soup after Marco got up… and gave Eren two spoons. “Just to help you two get it going.” Eren grumbled “Shut up,” as she chuckled and turned away. Eren felt himself turn red and started to eat.

_… He said he was in a relationship… Is it with Jean?_

He sucked on the spoon as he pondered on the thought. If he was, then he definitely would know when Jean would be back… but… it could also mean that he would be protective of Jean… Still, Eren didn’t like the though of Marco being with a rapist one bit.

_...Will Jean do the same thing to him that he did to Annie?_

Eren then saw Marco come out of the bathroom. He then noticed that he looked… shaken. He was a lot paler now, and looked very nervous. Marco slowly came back and sat down. “What’s wrong?”

Marco jumped at Eren’s question. “H-huh?”

“You look pretty tense.”

“O-oh, that was just my boyfriend. I’ll need to leave soon to do a few things for him. He’s out of town on a trip.” Out of town. Boyfriend. Had to be Jean. Eren thought a moment before deciding he would take advantage of the moment to figure out when Jean would be back.

_… I don’t want to use him like this… but this is my only chance. It’s now or never._

“Couldn’t he just do it as soon as he was back?”

Marco laughed nervously. “No, he’s not going to be back for a while.”

“How long?”

“Uhhh,” Marco rubbed his neck, “A week.”

A week. That’s how long they were oing to stick around if they were going to get the bastard. “Huh… that’s a long business trip,” Eren commented, so he wouldn’t sound suspicious.

Marco shrugged. “He’s been gone for a week several times, so I’m not bothered by it.”

“… What does he do?”

“He works with computers and business companies, paper works stuff. I don’t know the exact details, he doesn’t really talk about work.” … Paper work? If he recalled correctly, Jean was 17 years old. Sounded odd that a 17 year old would be in that kind of job position.

“You’re not going out with an older guy, are you?”

“Uh, Wha? No! We’re the same age.”

“… Kinda having a hard time picturing a 17 year old having a job that deals with paper work.”

Marco opened his mouth to rebuff but stopped. After a while, he spoke again. “He’s really smart, and he graduated from school two years early.” Eren nodded. Marco seemed like he believed that he knew what Jean was doing for a job. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of something being wrong with the statement.

They both became quiet again. Marco glanced several times at the soup and kept turning away. Eren held out the second spoon to him. “Here.”

“Ah, no thanks, I’m fine.” Just then, there was a loud growling noise from what Eren guessed was Marco’s stomach. Marco turned his face away from Eren, looking ashamed.

Eren waited a while before dipping the spoon into the soup and held it out for Marco. “C’mon. You need to eat.”

Marco looked back at Eren, then at the spoon with hungry eyes. "... I..."

"Look, just a little bit. No offense, but you look like a feral cat ready to pounce." Marco shut his eyes and took a deep breath before taking the offered spoon into his mouth, swallowing the soup.

Then there was the sound of a camera. They both turned to see Mikasa and Armin standing across from them, the latter holding his phone. “Keep going.”

Marco immediately retreated from the spoon and turned away, his face burning red. Eren got up and screeched “WHAT THE HELL ARMIN?!”

“We decided to check in on you two, and the waitress was more than helpful with telling us where you were,” Armin smiled. “She just asked me to send whatever photos I take.”

“I’m seconds away from breaking that damn thing.”

Misaka interrupted them. “Eren, it’s just a picture.” Eren growled as he glanced at her.

“Can we take a seat by the way?”

“NO-”

“It’s fine," Marco stood up, “I need to get ready to go.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out several dollars. “This should cover it… I really enjoyed talking to you Eren. Sorry if I was a bother at any point.” He smiled at him before leaving the café.

Eren turned to Mikasa and Armin. “Take the table, I’ll talk to you guys soon.” With that he ran after Marco.

As soon as he was outside, he spotted Marco hurrying down the sidewalk. “Hey, wait!” Eren ran up to Marco who turned around to face him. “I’m really sorry about them… and what I said earlier. About your boyfriend.”

“Oh, it’s fine.”

Eren swallowed before continuing. “…Is… is it okay if we can exchange numbers? I really enjoyed talking to you.” Marco blinked several times, remaining quiet. Eren held his breath, afraid he would say no.

“You… really enjoyed talking to me?”

“… Yeah.”

Marco chuckled. “I was pretty certain you were getting bored…”

“Nope. Not at all.”

Marco smiled and pulled his phone out. “Alright. Your name is Eren… Uh, can I get your last name?” He looked at Eren, looking a little embarrassed.

“Jaeger.”

“Y-e-a-g-e-r?”

“Uh, no. J-a-e-g-e-r.”

“It’s German?”

“Yep.”

After typing in his name, he handed his phone to Eren. “Just put your number in there.” Eren typed it in and handed his phone back.

“Uh, do you want my phone?”

“Sure,” Marco replied. Eren quickly pulled it out and put in ‘Marco’. He handed it over to Marco who quickly handed it back as soon as he was done. “… Maybe we can see each other tomorrow?”

“As long as you don’t fall on me or anything that results in bodily harm.”

Marco laughed. “Alright.”

Eren watched as Marco ran off. He then took a look at the number that Marco gave him… then noticed that the name for the contact was changed. “What the?” It now read ‘Dots’. He felt himself turn red. Eren turned around to head back in the café… and saw Armin standing at the door, with his phone, that was showing a little red light in the flash.

“YOU RECORDED US?!”

“Eren wait!”

“GIMME THAT DAMN THING SO I CAN BREAK IT!!”

“NOOO!!”

-

Jean looked at the clock. 2:28. He turned back to the computer and opened up the video call application he had on there. The delivery he was calling Marco about earlier was for some aphrodisiacs that he and the others had ordered. They were for work, but Jean ordered some extras so he can experiment them on Marco. To see how good they were. He didn’t expect Marco to be with someone else. That concerned Jean. Why would anyone else be talking to Marco? He was dumb, slow, and usually didn’t know when to shut up unless he was told. Besides physical appearance, he didn’t understand why anyone else would be attracted to him. What if Marco tried to cheat on him? Then he might get the idea of leaving Jean.

_If he had sex with this guy, I’ll get down on punishing him when I get back. He won’t be allowed to go out for a long time._

He looked back at the clock and watched it change to 2:30. He pressed the call button for their home computer and watched it ring once. It immediately switched to Marco’s face.

“Hi Jean.”

“Marco,” Jean leaned over to the screen, “Tell me who exactly you were with when I called you, and what you did with him.”

“His name was Eren Jaeger. I just took him out for lunch and talked to him for a bit, that’s all.” Jaeger. Sounded German.

“Just took him out for lunch and talked? I find that very hard to believe, given your attractiveness,” Jean scoffed.

“I swear, that’s all. His friends swung by and tried to set us up, but he flat out refused.”

“Refused? With you?” Marco nodded. “Yeesh, you must have been talking for that to happen.” Marco remained silent at the remark. Jean studied his face, not sure if he was telling the truth just yet.

_Only one way to find out._

“Marco, strip.”

Marco blinked. “Huh?”

“If you are telling me the truth, then the only marks on your body would be from last night. So,” Jean leaned on his elbow, “Take off your clothes, let me see you.”

“A-alright.” Marco stood up, and walked back so his whole body was shown and started to strip, starting with that ridiculous scarf. Jean looked at his neck to see if there were any unfamiliar marks from before. None. He then watched as Marco took his shirt off, exposing his upper body. Nothing new on his upper front. “Turn,” Jean ordered. Marco stood there for a moment before complying. He was slow. His back showed only the scratches that Jean left on him last night. Marco then proceeded to remove his pants, letting them fall to the floor. He stood completely exposed to Jean, turning so Jean can see both sides.

_Just one more place to see._

Jean raised his head from his hand. “Marco,” Jean ordered as he beckoned Marco to come closer to the screen, “I want to see your asshole.” He watched Marco walk closer before getting onto the chair, raising his rear to face the screen. Marco held his rear open for Jean to look at his entrance. It was red, but not as red when he was finished with it last night. “Alright,” Jean nodded, “I believe you. Keep your clothes off though.” He heard Marco sigh and watched as he readjusted himself in the chair so that he was facing Jean.

“Thank you.” Marco held his knees to his chest, slightly flushed. Jean chuckled to himself. He was so attractive, but he was so insecure about his body. Of course, if he lost a few more pounds, he would look better.

“How did you end up taking this Eren guy to lunch again?”

“I… was climbing a tree and I fell on him… and gave him a bloody nose.” Jean tried not to laugh. Marco falling out of a tree, easy to believe. Him actually injuring someone? That was very amusing to imagine. Did he ever witness Marco physically hurt someone? Never. Jean doubt Marco would ever try to purposely hurt anyone, ever.

“Well, if you avoided that, I would have let you stay out a little longer.”

“Sorry.”

“Just try not to cause any more trouble while I’m gone. I might be able to come back sooner than I thought.” Rounding up the order for the patron turned out to be a lot easier with the status change. Nathan wanted to try to stay as long as possible to get the extra payment though. Jean was considering staying longer as well, but given what happened today, he felt it would be better to get back to Marco sooner.

Marco gave a small laugh. “I guess that business meeting is going better than usual?” Business meeting. That’s what Jean told Marco last night that he had to leave for.

“Yeah. I’ll be calling you again tomorrow, at six.”

“Alright. Good night.”

“Night babe.” He hit the end call button, and Hitch came in.

“Well, glad that’s done.”

“Got the first part of the order sent?”

“Yep, sluts were placed in the van, and taken away.”

“How many did we get tonight?”

“Eighteen, if I counted right.”

“Good.”

-

Marco was so relieved that Jean believed him. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he thought he slept with Eren.

_No. Stop thinking like that. Jean is getting better. He just needs time and help._

Just then, his phone went off. He looked at it and saw that a text came in. It was Eren.

 

Eren: Hey u there?

 

Marco wondered if it would be alright to respond. It was just a text message, right. He hesitated before replying.

 

Marco: I’m Here :)  How are you?

Eren: Im good. Are u free rt now?

Marco: No, I need to do some things

Eren: What about tomorrow?

Marco: Only until six, unless my boyfriend needs me to do something for him

Eren: We were planning to head over to the musea aweio;gi280[4I

 

Marco was surprised by the ending of that last text. He typed a quick text asking Eren if he was alright. As soon as it was sent, a photo of blond hair came his way. “Huh?” After a while, a photo of Eren popped up, his face beet red, showing Armin laughing on the floor.

 

Eren: THAT WASN’T ME JUST NOW IT WAS ARMIN HOLY SHIT IM SORRY ABOUT THAT I PROMISE ILL GET HIM LATER AND DESTROY THAT CAMERA OF HIS

 

Marco froze for a moment before he started giggling. Eren was so funny. He hoped that he would stay long enough so he could introduce Jean to him.

 

Marco: ur so funny its fine lol

Eren: u sure

Marco: Yeah.

Eren: K

Marco: so what was it you guys were planning on doing tomorrow?

Eren: … U wanna spend time with us?

Marco: Yeah

Eren: Armin wanted to check out the museums. That ok?

Marco: The museums? Sure

Eren: What time would be best for u?

Marco: I can meet u guys after 9, but I need to b back before 6

Eren: 9:30 good? At the park?

Marco: Perfectly fine!

Eren: Kay. See u then.

Eren: BTW, I still have your handkerchief. I made sure to clean it, didn't want to hand a bloody rag back

Marco: Oh, it's fine. I told you earlier, I have more. U can keep it.

Eren: Thank you

 

Marco looked at their conversation, rereading the whole thing. When was the last time anyone invited him to an outing? He then remembered that’s what happened when Hitch and Nathan came. Marco tensed up, remembering the incident. “No, calm down Marco, they were originally looking for Jean, and one of them was drunk…” He held himself, trying to relax. “… I… I think I can trust Eren…” Marco’s body untensed as he continued. “… He didn’t try anything on me… he didn’t force me to do anything that would have harmed me…” Eren had him eat some of the soup, but that was because he was worried about him. It was relatively harmless…

_He seemed like a good person to me._

“… I want to trust him.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My fic was used as another world in this Jeanmarco fanfic: http://archiveofourown.org/works/1679333/chapters/3567773  
> I'm just... completely flattered by this. -hides face-  
> BTW, I'm considering writing two more fanfics soon, so the next update may or may not take a while for me to put up ^^'  
> Comments and critique is appreciated as always! So are suggestions for the fic!!  
> -  
> You know that awkward moment when you start looking at a ship to get some time off from your OTP and suddenly that ship becomes another OTP? That's what happening with me and ErenMarco.

“O-KAY FOLKS, TIME TO FACE A NEW DAY!!” Armin yanked open the curtains for the hotel room that the group rented out. Eren winced as the sunlight streamed in directly into his eyes.

“GAAAHH!” Ymir shrieked at the light, using Krista as a shield, who merely laughed at her girlfriend. Reiner groaned but sat up, pressing Bertholdt close to his boobs/chest, having him face away from the window. Mikasa, being the potential super human that Eren was suspecting, simply got up with no problems. Eren pulled himself up from the bed that he shared with Armin last night and looked at the clock. 8:30 AM.

“Do we have any plans on breakfast?”

“I figured we’d get breakfast with Marco.” Armin smiled at Eren. “Try to stay on his good side, okay?”

“What does that mean?”

“Don’t get angry like you did yesterday.”

“I was angry at you, not him!”

After he had exchanged his number with Marco, Eren told Mikasa and Armin that Jean would be back in a week, and from what he understood so far, was Marco’s boyfriend. After discussing what the boyfriend part would do with their plans, they regrouped with Reiner and the others to discuss their next move. Eren insisted that Marco could be trusted, and not to be harmed when the time came for them to kill Jean. Reiner said that if that’s was they case, then it shouldn’t b a problem. Bertholdt suggested that they should try spending more time with Marco, to make sure that he was really trustworthy, and to stay close on any updates on Jean. Eren agreed on it. Armin, when Eren had left to get some dinner, took Eren’s phone and contacted Marco, hoping to get him to go with them somewhere tomorrow. He must have spent some time planning it, since when Eren caught him, he found several tour guides scattered in the room.

“Alright everyone,” Reiner stood up as Bertholdt tried to face the light, “Better get ready. How far are the museums?”

“A thirty minute trip by the bus,” Armin replied.

“When are we meeting up with this Marco guy?”

“Uh, 9:30. Better be there fifteen minutes before then. Who wants to use the rest room first?”

Krista raised her hand and said “I need to change”, and Ymir’s hand immediately shot up.

“I’ll help you with whatever you need.”

“Wait a sec.” Everyone turned to Bertholdt, who was starting to sweat. “Marco… has already seen Krista before, right? How are we going to convince him that it’s just a coincidence that she’s here?” As soon as the statement was spoken outloud, the realization hit everyone in the room like a sac of bricks. No one thought this part out. If he saw her, Marco would start to become suspicious, and that could ruin everything.

“Uhhhhh…” Everyone looked to Armin. “… We tell him she’s a volunteer nurse at several medical centers, including military hospitals? And that the rest of us picked her up on the way here?”

Reiner thought about it for a second. “… Sounds like the best thing to tell him.”

Eren looked at himself and realized he fell asleep in his clothing. Whoops. Ignoring Krista’s yelping as Ymir pushed her into the bathroom for ‘a grand disguise instead’, Eren switched shirts, the one that he slept in with some of the blood that was from his nose. He dug his hands into his pockets when he felt something unfamiliar, confusing him. He pulled at it, finding it coming out. It was the handkerchief Marco gave him yesterday. Eren had tried to wash out whatever blood had gotten on it, planning on giving it back to Marco. He was surprised Marco declined Eren’s offer to return it. Now that Eren was looking at it again, he was kind of happy that was they case; there were still visible stains of blood left in it.

_Maybe I could ask Levi for some tips on how to clean this._

-

Levi sneezed, turning his head away from the papers in front of him. He looked back to make sure they were still clean. Yep. Still clean.

“Shitty brat must be talking about me.” He set his papers down before taking some tissues to wipe his nose. Reiner had talked to Erwin, asking for authorized leave, apparently to the interior of Sina. When Levi found out, he figured Eren must have been involved.

\--

_“Eren,” Levi approached him from the back, crossing his arms. “What are you planning.”_

_Eren turned around, nervous but definitely set on something. “...That person who picked Marco up, did you know that he was a suspect for sexually and physically assaulting Annie Leonhart?”_

_Levi blinked, taken aback. He was given authority several months after she was placed in the Medical ward, which included investigation, but by then, her case had gone cold and was no longer being pursued. The person who was in charge previously concluded that they would have to wait for her to wake up for them to resume the case._ _He looked at Eren. “… No.”_

_“You said that you couldn’t discuss the details on Dots… Marco, with me. Why not?”_

_“Doctor confidentiality.”_

_“Then why do you know anything if it’s doctor confi-”_

_“I asked directly for the results. I can only disclose the information to superiors or under a court order, you happen to be neither a superior or in possession of a court order. And I can’t just give you information whenever I feel like it. If I did, then I could be removed and someone else would be placed in my position, which I don’t think either one of us wants.”_

_Eren groaned. “No…” Levi felt some guilt from Eren’s voice. It sounded the same way after his mother was killed…_

_“… I’ll convince Erwin to let Reiner take you and your friends go.”_

_Eren looked at Levi. “… Really?!”_

_“Yes, just try not to shift in public.” Eren was about to run off before Levi spoke again. “He doesn’t remember you by the way. Your titan form.”_

_Eren stopped and remained quiet. “… He doesn’t?”_

_“No.”_

_Eren looked down at the ground. “… That’s fine.”_

_“You sure?”_

_“… Just as long as he’s safe, I don't mind.” Levi looked at Eren, not sure if he was telling the truth. When he was about to speak again, Eren ran down the hall._

_\--_

Levi shuffled his papers before continuing down to Erwin’s office after he tossed away the tissue. He personally hoped that Eren would get Bodt out of whatever situation he was in. There was no real explanation for all of the bone fractures other than he was an athlete, or he was being domestically abused. But given his body condition, he doubted it was the athlete. The evidence of being raped several days prior to finding him made the abuse more likely.

“You better make the right choices, Eren.”

\--

_Marco, fifteen years old, adjusted his left arm, which was currently held in a sling. It had been five months since he reunited with Jean, who became more provocative than when they were living in Jinae. He had gotten in an argument with Jean again, this time Jean saying that Marco was ditching him over some classmates. Marco responded by saying Jean was becoming obsessive, and Jean responded by shoving him. Marco was right next to some stairs when he did, and fell halfway down, after stumbling a bit. His arm broke and he went to the hospital to get it treated. The doctor told him not to try to carry anything too heavy with the broken arm._

_He was currently riding the bus home, which was a small apartment that he shared with classmates, who were all out by now. As soon as it stopped in front of the apartment building, Marco got off and walked up to his floor. When he arrived at his door, he realized that his keys were in his left jacket pocket, which he had zipped closed. “Oh come on,” he muttered before trying to zip it open with his free hand, which was proving to be easier said than done, since his broken arm was obstructing access to the pocket._

_Then, he felt someone’s hand curl around his free one as another one opened his pocket and went in. Startled, he looked over to see who it was. It was Jean, who was avoiding eye contact with him, and pulled out Marco’s keys before unlocking the door._

_“I got it.” He opened the door and pulled Marco in._

_“Uh wait, Jean,” Marco tried to talk to him as he was pulled in. Jean let him go and immediately closed the door, standing in between it and Marco._

_“… Jean?” Marco was starting to feel uncomfortable with the way he was acting._

_“… What do you think of me, Marco?” Jean turned to face him. Jean’s expression seemed… wild, as if dreading the worst. “Do you… hate me?” He started to approach Marco._

_“Jean…”_

_“I didn’t mean to have you fall down the stairs.” Jean immediately pulled Marco into an embrace. “You were the one who was too close when I shoved you, and you called me obsessive. It isn’t my fault you broke your arm… it’s like when I fell from the tree,” Jean continued. “You were letting me climb it when I fell, but I never blamed you for my injury… both that and this were accidents…”_

_Marco stayed silent as he listened, and nodded. He didn’t want Jean to freak out too much. “… Yeah… I’m sorry I called you obsessive…”_

_Jean tightened the embrace. “Mmm.”_

_“… I wasn’t trying to ditch you. One of my classmates just wanted me to help them with homework, and I said yes,” Marco explained to him._

_“… Then… if any of them ask again, tell them you’re busy with your boyfriend.”_

_Marco blinked in surprise. “… Boyfriend?”_

_Jean pulled back and smiled at him. “… Will you please go out with me?”_

_Marco stared at him, trying to absorb everything._

_“… You don’t have to answer right away…” Jean said as he released Marco. “Just… before I have to go out of town.”_

_“Y-you’re going away?”_

_“Yeah, I got this job, and they asked me to... go to a meeting that’s out of town. I’ll be leaving in three days, and I won’t be back for another four days.” Jean headed to the door and opened it. “… Tell me in person when you decide.” With that, he left, leaving Marco to his thoughts._

\--

Marco woke to the sound of the alarm clock going off. He groaned as it continued to beep, wondering why he was dreaming about that moment back then. He looked at it and saw it read 8:55. 35 minutes for him to meet up with Eren. He moved slowly, and much to his relief, his body wasn’t hurting as much today. He was probably still going to take some painkillers, just to be safe. He pressed the alarm clock to stop it’s beeping before getting up to the restroom. He pulled out the same blue pills from before and checked the markings on his neck. The marking were still too dark for make up to cover it up. “Guess I’ll need that scarf again.” He headed back to the bedroom to put clothes on.

As soon as he was done, he heard the phone ring. He looked at it and saw Jean’s number. “Hello?”

“Hey babe, I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be back in either three to four days.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah, work is going a lot smoother than usual.”

Marco smiled. “That’s great!”

He then remembered what Eren said yesterday about having a hard time believing that Jean would have a job involving paper work. Jean had always told him that different companies would ask him to do work for them that involved computers and needed paperwork. Marco didn’t know much about that type of business, so he never questioned Jean about any work related stuff. Was a week a long time for a business trip for what Jean was doing?

“Marco?”

“Yes?”

“You were pretty quiet just now.”

“Sorry, I just got up,” Marco tried to laugh it off. There was no reason why Jean would lie about work.

“Hn. Are you planning on going anywhere?”

“Uh, I was thinking of checking out the museums.” That wasn’t a lie, and Jean had the museums listed as places he was allowed to go, but he didn’t want to mention the fact he was going with anyone else. He figured it would be better to wait till Jean was back so he can introduce to Eren to him, and show him that he wasn’t a problem.

“… Alright. Your curfew is at the regular time today, and I don’t want to hear that you caused any trouble, got it?”

“Got it.”

“Okay, bye babe, love you.”

“Love you too.” With that, Jean hung up. Marco let out a small sigh before heading out.

As soon as Marco was back in the park, he saw Eren standing next to the trees where he fell on him. Marco then noticed the other people with him. Two of them were the same ones from yesterday, and there were four other people. He immediately ran over to Eren. “Hey, I’m sorry if I kept you guys waiting.”

“Nah, we didn’t have to wait that long. We were still trying to rise from the grave,” Eren replied as he stretched. Marco smiled and looked at the others. His eyes immedialty fell on the blonde girl. The same one when he was found on military grounds.

“Uh, she…” He pointed to her, and Eren looked over to where he was pointing.

“… Oh! You know her already?”

“… I’m not sure I can say I really do…” He didn’t want to tell Eren about what happened last week. Marco was afraid of what he would think of him.

He made eye contact with her, who tried to smile at him, “It’s not important Eren,” she assured.

Marco felt his chest tighten a bit, wondering why she was here.

Then, a brunette girl, who had freckles like him, rested her arm on the blonde girl’s head. “I don’t really care how these two know each other.” After a second, she turned to the blonde. “He didn’t try pulling anything dirty on you when you were volunteering somewhere, did he?”

“No, Ymir! What a terrible thing to suggest!” Marco blinked. Volunteer? Maybe it was just was a coincidence that he saw her at the medical ward and here again? He’ll try asking her if he gets the chance.

The third person approached him, and he immediately straightened up. This guy was blonde… and big. Crazy, muscle big. And intimidating to look at. The buff blonde looked at him for a while before smiling. “So, you’re Marco. Eren told us good things about you so far.”

Marco tried to smile. “H-he has?”

“Yep. And that video of you two talking was pretty cute.”

Marco blinked, confused. “What video?” He then heard a small cough and looked over to Armin, who smiled at Marco.

“You were cute with him when you were talking outside, and I couldn’t resist.”

Eren turned to face Armin. “… YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULDN’T SHOW IT TO ANYONE.”

“I said ‘show’, not send.” Eren glared at him a bit before lunging at him.

Armin immediately broke into a run. “Eren, calm down!”

“DON’T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!! I’M BREAKING THAT DAMN PHONE OF YOURS AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!!”

"BERTHOLDT, HELP ME!!" Marco watched as Eren chased Armin, not sure if he should be worried or amused. The fourth person ran after Eren and held him from Armin by picking him off the ground. He was a brunette, and a bit taller than the blonde, but not as built. He was sweating as he was trying to tell Eren to calm down. Everyone else continued to watch Eren as he flailed, and Armin walked past him and the tall boy and smiled at the spectators. “Shall we get breakfast now?”

-

Eren glared at the back of Armin’s neck, hoping that he’ll suddenly develop lazer vision and zap it. Armin was currently talking to Marco, asking what grade he was going to, and where. They already knew from the information they downloaded back on base that Marco was enrolled to an online school, but Armin didn’t want Marco to seem suspicious.

“How long have you been doing online classes?”

“Uh, almost two years now?”

“Wow.”

“Where do you go to school?”

“Oh, Shiganshina High. It’s pretty far from here.”

“Let me guess, half a day at normal speed limit.”

“Yep.” “

They continued to chat, completely oblivious to Eren’s glare. Mikasa noticed and bumped Eren on the shoulder. “Ow!” He turned to face her. “What was that for?”

“Try being a little less moody today.”

“I’m not moody!!” That part he said loudly and attracted everyone’s attention, including Marco’s. Eren watched as Marco stifled a laugh before turning red and faced the ground. Mikasa merely shook her head.

Eren wasn’t sure how long they walked when Armin pulled everyone into a restaurant for breakfast. He looked up when he accidentally bumped into Bertholdt. “Sorry.” He walked around him before Armin shoved him into a seat. “Armin, what the hell?!” He then noticed who he was sitting next to. Marco. He glanced over to Armin, who merely smiled before sitting next to Mikasa.

_Armin… what are you planning?_

“Eren?” He looked back to Marco, who was giving him a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m completely fine, Dots…” As soon as Eren called Marco ‘Dots’ again, he paused and realized his mistake.

_AGAIN?! GODDAMMIT EREN!!! WHY CAN’T YOU JUST CALL HIM BY HIS NAME?!_

“Aw, shit, I’m sorry Do-Ack-Marco!! I-I-I don’t mean to keep calling you that!” Eren turned bright red as he apologized while Marco simply laughed.

“It’s fine. You’re so funny.”

“Am not,” Eren muttered as he turned away. Just then the menu was thrown at his head. He looked over at Ymir, who smirked right back at him.

“It’s the specials,” she said before mouthing ‘seal the deal,’ before leaning over Krista as they were discussing what to share.

He picked the menu up and turned back to Marco. “Uh, do you want to look at it first, or are you okay with sharing?”

“I don’t mind sharing.” Eren placed the menu in between them and let Marco lean over to take a look. Eren then noticed that there was a dark spot that was almost completely hidden by his scarf on the side of his neck. Was… that a bruise? Just as he was leaning in to get a better look, Marco turned to face him. “Oh! Sorry, am I blocking the menu? I’ll move.” He scooted over so Eren could see the menu.

“Uh, thanks…” Eren looked down at the menu and glanced back at Marco, who was oblivious to Eren looking at his neck. From where he was, the mark was basically invisible.

“Eren!” Mikasa called him out of his zoning. “Waitress is coming. Better make up your mind quick.”

“Fine.” He looked at the menu, and realized how big the breakfast section was. “Uh,” Eren whispered to Marco, hoping that he would help Eren, “Do you have anything that you’re planning to get? I haven’t made up my mind yet?”

“I was planning on getting the oatmeal. I think it’s served both bowl and cup sizes.”

“Guess I’ll get some then.” As soon as he said that, the waitress came to the table.

“Is everyone ready?” There were several ‘yes’es before the waitress proceeded with jotting down their orders.

“And you two?” She pointed her pen at Marco and Eren.

“I’ll have oatmeal in a cup,” Marco replied.

“Same thing, bowl though,” Eren said before passing the menu to her.

“Alright, your food will be out shortly.” She walked away, and Armin looked over to Eren and Marco.

“You two should consider going out on at least one date.”

Eren glared at him and threw a side menu at him as Marco blushed. “Uh, no. I’m already in a relationship.” Eren tried to not make a face as soon as he heard that statement again, having a good idea who the boyfriend was.

“Really?” Armin asked, feigning surprise.

“Y-yeah. His name is Jean.” Now Eren was fighting the urge to bang his head on the table at the announcement. Now it was official that Jean was the boyfriend.

“How long have you known him?”

“For nine years now.”

“So you’re childhood friends?”

“Yeah… but he did leave to go to another school when he was eleven, and I didn’t see him for over three years…” Marco nervously chuckled at that last part. Eren’s interest perked when he heard that part. Annie was put in the coma when Jean would have been 14 years old, almost 15 at the time.

_If they were not together when that happened… That means Marco had nothing do with attacking Annie._

That was a good thing… right?

Just then, the waitress came back with several plates. “Okay, you asked for the biscuits and gravy with eggs and bacon, right?” She took the plate off and placed it in front of Reiner, “And you asked for the pancakes,” She placed a platter of pancakes that were for Bertholdt next to the biscuits.

“Yep,” Reiner smiled at her.

The waitress then placed scrambled eggs with sausages and mini pancakes, which had whipped cream in the shape of a heart on top, in front of Ymir and Krista. “Brought you that couple’s special like you asked.”

“Thanks.” Ymir took her fork and stabbed some of the pancakes before she held it to Krista. “Say ‘AAHH’~”. Krista giggled before proceeding to open her mouth.

The waitress laid down the plates for Armin and Mikasa before walking over to Eren and Marco. “Which one asked for the bowl again?”

Marco pointed at Erem.” Him.”

With that, she placed the oatmeal in front of Eren before giving Marco his portion. “Alright, if anyone needs anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” As soon as she left, Reiner took one of his biscuits and proceeded to do his usual morning flirting with Bertholdt.

“All right Mommy, time to feed you and the baby~”

Bertholdt turned red and started to sweat as Reiner attempted to feed him. “Ah, what? Reiner, no!”

“Don’t worry, I don’t care how much your figure changes, how round your belly will become with the baby,” Reiner continued to coo.

Eren felt the blood drain from his face as the show continued. Last time it was “newlywed’s after their first time”, but this was, by far, the worst one so far. He cast a glance of worry at Marco, who was watching with surprise and confusion. Marco quickly glanced over to Eren, as if hoping for an explanation. “I’ll explain later,” Eren muttered.

“And as soon as you start to lactate,” Reiner leaned over, putting the biscuit into his boyfriend’s mouth, “I’ll be there to help relief you~” Bertholdt was now trying to scoot away in embarrassment. However, he did fall over, making Reiner stop. “Bert!” Reiner put down the biscuit that he had just picked up and went down. “Shit, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you fall over!”

While Reiner had his back turned and his attention on Bertholdt, Ymir leaned over and started to pluck some of the bacon off his plate, stopping when Krista pulled on her sleeve and whispered, “Don’t.”

Ymir sat back and looked at everyone who witnessed her. “You all saw nothing,” she stated quietly.

“Did you hit your head?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Can you stand?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Reiner helped Bertholdt back up and pulled his chair out for him to sit in. “Sorry, I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

“Alright,” Bertholdt responded, “… Daddy.”

Reiner smiled at him before noticing his plate. “… What happened to my bacon?”

“What do you mean?” Ymir asked, her mouth full of eggs… and bacon. Reiner growled, probably figuring it wouldn’t be worth the fight, and sat back down.

Bertholdt held out his fork with a few cuts of his pancakes. “Chocolate chip.” Reiner took the fork then smirked. Without warning, he shoved the pancakes into Bertholdt’s mouth before proceeding to kiss him, taking the food into his own mouth. Bertholdt froze before falling off his chair, again.

“Bert!” This time there was no response.

_He fainted. Should have seen that coming._

-

Marco watched as Reiner lifted Bertholdt back up to his chair after he fell the second time. Berthold was in a daze, which worried Reiner even more. He turned to Krista, “Does he have a concussion?” he asked with panic.

“Let me see.” She got up and walked over to the tall brunette and looked at his head. “No, he’ll be alright.” She looked at Reiner before finishing. “Just make sure he doesn’t fall again.”

Bertholdt, who was starting to come out of his daze, looked at Reiner. “Falling isn’t fun.” Reiner nodded as Krista went back to sit next to Ymir, who had swallowed some of the bacon that she swiped earlier.

Eren friends were… interesting. They didn’t seem like bad people, which comforted him a bit. By now, it was pretty obvious on who were together. He turned back to his oatmeal and ate some, noting that he forgot to ask for sugar and that it was still a little too hot.

_Marco, sugar would just be more calories. I’m so stupid. I should have just stayed at the apartment today._

“Marco?”

“Huh?” He looked back at Eren, who was holding a cup with some brown sugar for him.

“I asked you if you wanted some.”

“… Oh! Sorry, I was spacing out for a bit,” Marco replied. “Erm… I don’t know if I should…”

“It’s just sugar, not heroine.”

_Sugar. With calories. That would slow down loosing weight, wouldn’t it?_

But… Marco did like his oatmeal with it. He weighed his choices as he looked at the sugar. “Well…” Marco started as he bit his lower lip, “… Maybe a little?” He would just have to be careful with anything else he would eat later today.

Eren nodded as he scooped some with the spoon in the cup for him. “This good?” It was about half a tablespoon, but it seemed like enough for him to enjoy.

“Yeah,” and with that, Eren dumped it into Marco’s cup. Marco stirred his a bit when Eren yelped and spat whatever he had in his mouth back into the bowl it came from. He turned to him before asking, “What’s wrong?”

“I und ai ung!” Eren replied as his tongue hung out of his mouth.

Reiner, Ymir and Armin snickered at Eren. “He said he burnt his tongue,” Mikasa commented as she got up with one of her biscuits, which she applied a huge amount of butter to. She walked over to Eren and shoved the biscuit in to his mouth, with the butter directly down on his tongue.

“M-Mff-Mhh!!” He was probably trying to say her name, but could barely get it past the bread that was unceremoniously pushed in.

“C’mon, butter usually helps,” She said as he bit it before swallowing it so he could speak.

“Not if it suffocates me!” He whined as he flicked his tongue experimentally. She responded by pushing the remaining part of the biscuit into his mouth and sitting back down. Eren tried to growl to intimidate her, but it sounded really pathetic with the food in his mouth.

Marco covered his mouth as he felt himself laugh at him. Eren turned at him and quickly exclaimed “If ot unny!!”, which was probably suppose to be ‘It’s not funny’, and noticed that his ears were turning red. Marco still laughed before continuing to eat. Eren turned back to Mikasa and tried to yell at her, only to be silenced with Armin shoving a huge piece of his omelet into his mouth.

“Hey wait,” Ymir stood up, “I wanna stuff his mouth too,” and she forked one of her sausages and proceeded to try feeding him. Eren immediately ducked behind Marco in an act of defense. Marco glanced at him. Eren immediately gave him puppy eyes, as if pleading “please don’t let her get to me,”… It was cute. Very cute. And convincing.

“Uh,” He pushed the fork away from Eren and tried to smile at Ymir, “I think he’s been teased enough this morning.”

She pouted before looking at Eren. “I will get you for lunch.” Krista landed a small punch on her arm, to which Ymir made dying noises. “I thought you loved me, darling~” she wailed as she crawled off her chair and pawed at Krista’s lap.

“Ymir, sit up.”

“Listen, if I die, tell the kids I love them.”

Krista laughed as she pushed Ymir back to her chair. “You’re so silly.”

Ymir kissed her cheek. “For you, any day.”

Marco looked at them for a moment before glancing back at the giant boyfriends. Bertholdt was now stuffing some of his pancakes into Reiner’s mouth, the latter who happily obliged. Marco was surprised by how easily open both couples were with their relationship. When he was living with Jean back in Rose, it was unusual for them to go out someplace in public together simply because they could, and when they did, Jean would show very little signs of affection towards Marco. People often ignored them, so Marco was never bothered by it before. Marco couldn’t remember the last time he and Jean goofed around, if ever, mostly because Marco was afraid of getting Jean mad at him. Seeing the people around him act so carefree and open about their relationships made him feel… a little jealous. Marco prodded at his oatmeal for a bit.

_Maybe… I can talk to Jean… and convince him to go out together as a couple more often… like them… He’s getting better after all. Maybe I can try teasing him on something, I don’t think he’ll punish me for that…_

Marco ate some more as he tried to tune out the laughter from Krista as Ymir tried to tickle her. It didn’t work.

-

“Ahh, that was good!” Armin stretched as everyone walked out of the restaurant. Reiner was looking at his credit card then back at Armin grudgingly, since everyone except Krista and Marco ganged up on him to pay, even though it was Armin’s idea. Eren watched as Bertholdt was trying to cheer him up, saying that he wasn’t going to pay for lunch. He hoped that would be the case. Eren glanced over to Marco, who was also looking at Berthold and Reiner.

His expression seemed… different from what he had seen so far from the freckled boy. “Are you okay?”

Marco jumped slightly when he heard Eren talked to him.

“Uh, yeah. Perfectly fine,” Marco chuckled, “I was just… thinking of something stupid…” Marco looked at the ground as if ashamed of himself.

Eren looked at him with concern. “Hey-”

“Bus is here!” Armin waved everyone down as the bus pulled up. Everyone pilled on, and when Eren and Marco were on, Armin pushed them into the direction of two open seats.

“Armin, what?”

“Just to make sure you two don’t disturb the lovebirds,” Armin quipped as he tilted his head towards the boyfriends and girlfriends. Armin walked to the other side of the bus and plopped down next to Mikasa, ignoring Eren’s frown.

“Maybe I can put chili powder or something in his food later,” Eren muttered as he slouched in his seat… accidentally leaning his head on Marco. It took a few seconds for Eren’s brain to register what he was doing. As soon as it did, he looked at Marco, who was looking at him with a light flush to his cheeks. “SORRY!” Eren squeaked out as he immediately straightened himself.

“It’s okay,” Marco said, without looking at him. After the bus drove away from the stop, Eren tried to bring himself to look at Marco again and start a conversation to break the awkard silence between them.

_Why are you so nervous to talk to him? Because every time I do, I end up looking like a huge fucking idiot, that’s why!!_

After ten minutes, Eren finally managed to turn his Marco, but hesitate to say anything. His mouth opened several times and closed each time.

_WHY IS THIS SO FUCKING HARD?!_

“… Did… did you go the museums where you lived before you moved?” That question seemed to be the most decent of all the ones that came to Eren’s brain.

Marco looked at Eren and scratched his head. “I… used to go to at least one of them every month during my first year… but… I got busy with school work later on, so it became less frequent.” Marco tried to smile. “This is actually my first time in seven months.”

Eren listened before speaking again. “Armin drags us to the museums every week.”

“… Really?”

“Yeah, he’s all over learning things and that brainiac stuff. I’m positive that if he could live in a museum, he’d sleep in a different room every night.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. You should see how many books he raids. I swear his room is FILLED with them. Half the time I forget it’s even a bedroom.” It was true. Armin’s room back at the base was practically swamped with them. There had been several occasions where Levi would have Armin take them out to make room for cleaning, by force. He was certain that Armin had more books hidden somewhere. Where exactly? He hadn’t the slightest idea.

Eren remained quiet for a while again before Marco spoke. “How long have you known him?”

“Since we were babies. Our parents were neighbors when we were born, so he’s like a brother.”

“Is that the same with you and Mikasa?”

“Uh, no. Mikasa and I met when my parents adopted her when her parents died in an accident. When we were seven. It was pretty a huge surprise to be honest.”

Marco smiled. “Did you do any ‘I wanna be a single child’ arguments with them?”

“I almost did at one point.”

Marco giggled a bit before going quiet. “… I wish I had siblings.”

“No, you don’t. Trust me. They’re bossy,” Eren remarked as he looked at Mikasa and Armin, who were ignoring him. Eren turned his attention to Marco. “… Do you have any relatives?”

“… Um…” Marco looked out the window, hesitating to answer.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to answer!” Eren blurted out loudly, surprising Marco. “I know that people don’t always have relationships with their relatives, despite how close they are genetically. So, if it makes you uncomfortable to talk about relatives, we don’t need to talk about them.”

_Let alone good relationships. I should know of all people._

Marco blinked several times before smiling. “Thanks.”

Eren nodded. “Yeah, sorry for asking.”

“No, it’s fine.” Marco looked down to his lap. Eren found his eyes focusing back onto the area that he noticed in the restaurant. He saw the dark mark again, almost missing it if he hadn’t known what was there. It was halfway up his neck, barely peaking out of the scarf Marco was wearing. Eren couldn’t tell how big it was, but it definetly seemed like a bruise… like the ones he’d occasionally see on Bertholdt’s neck…

_… IT’S A HICKIE._

Oh. OH. Eren turned his face so Marco wouldn’t see it kept changing from white to red as his thoughts racked his brain, trying to decide if he was furious or horrified, or both. A hickie. That meant that Marco and Jean were… Marco was, with that rapist… Eren suddenly felt nauseous. He covered his mouth, praying he was wrong and that it was actually a hideous bug bite. What the hell did Marco see in Jean?!

Marco noticed Eren’s expression. “Oh my god, are you okay?”

Eren nodded, “Yeah, I think that I was force-fed too much earlier…”

Marco placed both of his hands on Eren’s back. “Do you need a paper bag or something?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine…” Eren stopped when he felt some bile come up before swallowing it down.

“Lean back,” Marco instructed, “It usually helps to sit back as far as possible,” he explained as he pulled Eren back to his seat and adjusted the seat so it was laid down far back as possible. Luckily, there were very few people on the bus, and the seats behind them were empty. “Deep breaths.” Eren slowly inhaled through his nose before exhaling and repeated the process several times. After a few minutes, he felt less nauseous.

“Thanks,” Eren glanced over to Marco, who was watching over him, “That… that helped me feel a lot better.” Eren adjusted his seat so he was sitting up straight again.

“Glad I could help,” Marco replied.  Eren couldn’t help but smile at him.

_There’s no way he’s involved with attacking Annie. We just need to wait a little longer and kill Jean and then…_

And then what? A though suddenly struck Eren; What will happen to Marco after Jean is dead? It was bad enough they were using Marco to figure out when Jean would be around. Eren glanced at Marco, who was looking out the window again. Would… they have to tell him the truth? It seemed like he really liked Jean, and the hickie seemed to confirm that their relationship was intimate… but, Eren remembered how scared Marco sounded while he was sleep talking when he found him. If they really had a good relationship, then why?

The bus finally stopped, and Eren realized this is where they were getting off. He stood up and let Marco go in front of him. As soon as Eren was out, Ymir snuck up behind him and tapped him in the shoulder. “I’m surprised he got you to take deep breaths.”

He glared at her. “Meaning what exactly?”

“It’s be impressive if you could do that when you’re angry.” Before he could rebuff, she walked back over to Krista.

Reiner was walking past him when Eren grabbed his sleeve. “Reiner.”

“Hmm?”

Eren looked over at Marco, making sure he was far enough so he wouldn’t hear him. “After we… take care of Jean… and if Marco is… uninvolved with what happened to… and he’s still around… what should we do? Would it be a good idea to tell him?”

Reiner rubbed his neck. “… I’ll leave that up to you. You’re the one who wanted to come and find him again, so you need to be responsible for how it will end for Marco.”

Eren sighed. “Figures.”

“Guess we didn’t think this completely through after all, huh?”

“No.”

Reiner ruffled Eren’s hair. “You’ll figure it out, I know you will.”

_I hope so._

He groaned to himself as he followed Reiner to the museum entrance and buried his hands into his pockets. His left hand brushed against something that was in there, prompting Eren to take it out. It was the handkerchief again. Why did he bring it with him? He could have sworn he left it in the laundry pile so he could try washing it again. "Eren!" He looked up and saw Armin waving at him from the entrance. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming..." Eren said as he put the piece of cloth back into his pocket. As soon as Eren walked in, he realized that Marco was waiting for him in front of the entry scanner.

"Do you need to go to the restroom? You look pretty pale." Eren shook his head.

"No, I was just thinking about something unpleasant." That wasn't a lie.

"Well, try to cheer up, okay?" Marco smiled at Eren. "I think you deserve to be happy." The guard called out to Marco, telling him to go through now. Marco apologized before quickly jumping through. Eren followed, Marco's words ringing in his head.

_I think you deserve to be happy._

Eren looked over to Marco, who Armin was talking to again.

_... I think you do too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note, I'll be slowly working in details about Eren's past. And Reiner is kinky, in a funny way though.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There are abuse flashbacks in this chapter as well as mention of violence, dismemberment, and gore! Please proceed with caution!!  
> If you are uncomfortable with any of the mentioned warnings, please don't force yourself to read.
> 
> Sorry it took me a while to post the next chapter up. I had to send my computer away to be fixed, and that took a bit longer than expected XP
> 
> Also, I edited the entire work, so it looks different from before. May or may not edit whole thing again later. If you guys have a preference for how it looked before, or are still bothered by something, please let me know!

Marco grabbed several guides from the information desk. The first museum that Armin had everyone go to was the history museum. He walked back over to the group.

“Is this enough for everyone?”

“Should be.” Armin took a few from him and handed them out. “So what do we want to check out first?”

“THE PLACE WITH THE MOST ‘DO NOT TOUCH STUFF’, I NEED TO GO THERE,” Ymir said in an overly exited tone. “I WILL TOUCH… EVERYTHING.”

Armin looked at her with panic. “No! Do you want to get us kicked out like you did a few months ago?!” Marco blinked. Kicked out? What did she do exactly? Surely touching objects in a museum wasn’t bad, was it?

“So I touched a few mummies, what’s the big deal?”

“You nearly tipped one over!! Do you have any idea how fragile they are?!”

_Okay. That is bad enough to get kicked out for._

“I WILL TOUCH THE STUFF AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME.” With that, Ymir let out a maniacal laugh, prompting several people to look at the girl. As she continued to laugh, Ymir took off.

“Ymir, Ymir, no!!” Bertholdt charged after her, followed by Reiner and Krista. There was an awkward silence among those who stayed behind.

“Well,” Mikasa spoke, “I think the European exhibit should be our first stop, it’s to the left.”

“What about Reiner and the others?” Eren asked, looking in the direction they ran, whick was to the right.

“We’ll call them up, or they’ll call us when Ymir gets them dragged out.”

Eren was about to protest when Armin stopped him. “Makes sense…” His voice sounded worried despite his agreement. Marco couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

The remaining four walked to the exhibit, and when they got there, Mikasa tapped Eren on the shoulder. “Please don’t start yelling when we’re inside.”

“WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS?!”

“It’s a bad habit of yours.”

“IS NOT!!”

“Then what do you call what you’re doing right now?”

Marco watched as Eren continued to argue with Mikasa, noting by how easily he goes off. It wasn’t like how Jean would though. Eren wouldn’t threaten anyone… except cameras. He then felt Armin tap on his shoulder, prompting him to look. Armin was making the same gestures that Eren was making, while mouthing everything he was saying.

“I’M NOT A FIVE YEAR OLD!!”

Marco tried laughing at Armin’s performance. Armin stopped after a while. “Let’s go ahead of them, they’ll ed going at it for a while.” Marco glanced over to Eren, who was still bickering. He wanted to trust Eren… he wasn’t sure with Armin just yet. The only reason he agreed to going out was because he wanted to spend more time with Eren.

“Uh… I don’t know…” Just then, he heard Eren yelling, again.

“Hey! Hey, let go of me!!” Marco turned and saw a security guard pulling Eren out with Mikasa’s help. Marco looked back at Armin, who simply tsked at the sight.

“He never learns.”

“… Has he…” Marco hesitated to finish the question, feeling that it would be rude to ask if Eren had always been short tempered. Armin looked at him.

“… Has he always been bratty? Noisy? A tantrum thrower? Sadly, yes. Until his family adopted Mikasa, he’d get into fights on the playground, parks, and whatnot, and I’d usually had the honor of taking him to get treated for whatever injuries he got.” Armin shook his head. “Mikasa became more of a baby sitter for him than a sister.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. The only problem was when she’d intervene in the fights by actually fighting. That’s when there were actual broken bone from defending him.” Marco bit his lip. Was she really that strong?

_I better stay on her good side._

They walked further down the exhibit, which started in Greece. “… I feel really sorry for the statues here,” Armin commented as they were looking at several that were on display.

“What do you mean?” Marco tilted his head, confused.

“Greek statues are usually on display as just marble figures, but back then, when they were originally built, they were intended to have paint.”

“Paint?” Marco never heard of statues having paint. Not the Greek statues anyway.

“Yeah, the same thing goes for Roman statues as well. They even did the eyes to make them stand out.” Marco looked back at one of the statues, which was a woman holding a bird, her eyes completely blank...

“What happened to the paint then?”

“It wore off, faded. It has been over two thousand years for most of them..” Armin explained. He crossed his arms as he stood next to Marco. “They used to be so vibrant, but now they are expected to be completely blank. Unpainted marble came about in the renaissance.”

Marco looked over at Armin. “They’re still beautiful though.”

“Not the way that they originally were. What’s worse is that some people are hesitant to restore the way they were originally, because they had become used to statues not having color.” Armin frowned as he continued. “They are denying them their full potential.” 

That did… sound sad. “… They’re just statues though,” Marco stated.

“Anyone with an immense respect to history would argue with that,” Armin countered back.

_He’s persistent on this, I’ll give him that._

“It’s not just the art form that society has watered down,” Armin added as he walked further down.

“Meaning what?” Marco asked as he followed Armin further in the exhibit.

“Their mythology. Most of the time, it’s retold so that we can sympathize with the protagonists, or those seen as successful.” Armin turned back to him. “The titans treated humans much better than the Olympians.”

“Titans? You mean the kind that ate their own kind?”

“That was Cronus, who ate his children. His rule was described as the Golden Age, when there was peace, eternal spring, and humans never died in the sense that they do now, they would become spirits, called daimones. When Zeus took over, he made humans inferior to the Gods, created the four seasons to make them take shelter. The new generation of man was less noble than the one prior, leading to war, and Zeus destroying them. The next generation of man essentially destroyed themselves, Both generations were made to go to the underworld after death. The next generation was not as messed up as the two prior to that, defined as more heroic, but many of them were destroyed by war. The next generation, the generation that you and I would belong to, is described as living in constant stress and labor, all virtues would have disappeared, man is constantly lying and mistrusting, and no longer feel shame or regrets on anything wrong, and will eventually be destroyed by Zeus.”

Marco stared at Armin as he finished. “… They never teach that in school.”

“No, they don’t. I said it before, society retells things so we can root for those who came out on top.”

“Didn’t Zeus free his relatives that Cronus had imprisoned though?”

“Yes, but still imprisoned others.”

Marco gnawed on his lower lip. Jean and Marco learned about Greek mythology in elementary school back in Jinae, and the versions that they were talk was no where as dark as Armin was telling him. “I’m sure that they probably deserved it on some scale though. And so did everyone else who was punished by a God.”

“… What do you know about Medusa?”

“Huh?”

“Medusa. What do you know of her.” Medusa. That was the name of the woman who was turned into a monster.

“I’m gonna… touch them tits~” Marco and Armin blinked in synchronized confusion as soon as they heard that. They both turned and saw Ymir standing in front of a female statue, hands hovering over what was essentially bare breasts. Armin immediately charged at her.

“NOOOO!!” He tackled her just before she managed to touch the statue. “It’s bad enough they are denied of paint, but I will not allow you to touch them, knowing that you may damage them!”

“I swear, you are SUCH a nerd, Armin,” Ymir complained as she shoved him off.

“Oh, Ymir, you found them!” Krista ran up to the giant girl. “And I thought we agreed on ‘no touching’!”

“Don’t worry, I like your boobs way better than any old statues.” She affirmed her statement by groping at the blonde girl’s cleavage, which earned her a smack to her face. “Sorry.”

Krista pouted before dragging Ymir further from the statues. Marco then saw Reiner and Berthold walk in.

“We saw Eren being dragged off by security guards, did he hit anyone?” Bertholdt asked.

“Nah, just yelling… and resisting the security guard.”

Bertholdt nodded. “Should we wait for him and Mikasa?”

“Nah, it’ll take a while. He’s done this stuff before.”

“Isn’t this the third time that a security guard had dragged him away in two months?” Reiner crossed his arms as he looked at Armin.

“Fifth actually. Let’s go.”

Everyone except Marco started to the next section if the exhibit.

_Medusa… she was a normal girl once… well, beautiful actually… then Athena turned her into a monster… and she was beheaded… why was she turned into a monster again?_

He was completely lost in thought that he didn’t notice that Bertholdt walking back to him. “Are you coming, or do you want to stay in this section a bit more? I can wait with you.” Marco snapped back to reality.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m so slow,” Marco chuckled, “I’m coming.” Bertholdt nodded and let Marco go in front of him.

The next part was on Rome. “Bert, come over here for a sec!” Reiner waved his hand to the tall brunette.

“What, what is it?” Berthold walked over to Reiner and Marco saw that he was standing next to gladiator armor.

“I think the loin cloth will accentuate your legs quite nicely,” Reiner pointed to one of the models in the display that was wearing only a loin cloth on it’s main body. “I can break in for you and get it.”

“REINER NO!” Bertholdt exclaimed while blushing furiously, prompting Reiner to pull his hips towards his own.

“Oh? Think it’ll look better on me? It won’t cover much, but if it makes you happy~” Bertholdt shoved the blondes face away, who merely chuckled. Marco walked away from the group, feeling jealousy towards Reiner and Bertholdt start to bubble up again.

_Just ignore them Marco._

Marco found himself at a sub-section for Nero. He saw a glowing blue screen that read ‘Cruel Tyrant of the Family?” that was in front of a bust of a woman. Intrigued, he found himself leaning over to read.

_It is suspected that Nero had his uncle, the Emperor before him, poisoned. When his step brother, who was closer to the throne by blood, was coming of age, he died suddenly, more than likely from being poisoned, although Nero claimed it was from a seizure. Later on, after meeting Poppaea Sabina, he ordered the murder of his mother, followed by the exile of his first wife, Octavia, and had her maids tortured to death. She was later brought back for execution. As of Poppaea, it is said that she either died of childbirth, complications of a miscarriage, or kicked to death while pregnant._

Marco turned away, feeling uncomfortable with reading the screen. He found his gaze drifting over to a bust of a male, over a small plaque that read ‘Sporus’

_There is not much know about Sporus before his time with Nero. He was born between 49 and 51 AD. After the death of Sabina, Nero became attracted to the boy in 67 AD. He later took the boy as his Puer Delicatus, a child slave chosen for sexual purposes, and had him castrated, and later on married him as his bride._

Castrated. Marco heard of that word before.

\--

_“I told you not to cum until I was done with you!” Jean, 16 years old now, seized Marco’s hair and dragged him to the basement. “What do I need to do to get you to understand?!”_

_“I’m sorry Jean, I’m so sorry!!” Marco felt tears run down his face as he grasped Jean’s hands with his own when they got to the bottom of the stairs, hoping that it would calm him down. Jean growled at Marco before throwing him to the cement floor in the basement. Marco fell on his shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through his upper body._

_“J-jean,” Marco pleaded as he tried to stand up. Jean walked over to him and grasped Marco’s hair again and pulled him over to the rack that Marco dreaded._

_“You need to be punished.” With that, he pushed Marco down and fastened his hands down._

_“Please Jean! I’m sorry!!” A sharp slap made contact with Marco’s face._

_"Be quiet already.” Jean moved and fastened Marco’s feet, spreading them apart so Marco would be exposed to him. Marco felt himself shake, dreading what Jean was going to do this time. Jean dragged his fingers along Marco’s body, gently. That was never a good sign when Jean was going to punish him._

_“Y’know,” Jean looked down on Marco, “There are times that you look to pretty too be a guy.”_

_“H-huh?” Marco stared at Jean, confused._

_“It can be frustrating. I don’t have a preference on gender, but I think that there are times that you were meant to be a girl,” Jean continued as he got up. Marco heard clicking, meaning Jean was opening his ‘toy box’. “And given how quick your orgasms are,” Jean turned back, “I think it makes you more feminine. So we better make the adjustments now.” Jean then held up a syringe that had a clear liquid inside and a blade._

_"N-NO!” Marco tried to move, earning him a glare from Jean._

_“I’m trying to decide between just castrating you, or if I should just emasculate you.” Jean walked back over and to Marco, who was attempting to close his legs._

_“Please, no!”_

_“Or would you prefer to go and get surgery to become a girl instead? I won’t judge you.” He looked Marco directly into the eye. “Even if you do, you wouldn’t have a chance at getting pregnant.” He then held the blade dangerously close to Marco’s private part and moved the syringe close to his jugular vein._

_“Please, please no, I’ll do anything,” Marco sobbed as he shook his head. Jean stopped for a moment and crawled over him._

_“Oh? But I need to punish you somehow.” He fidgeted with the blade he was holding. Jean looked at the blade before glancing back at Marco._

_“... Surgery would cost too much though, and I’m not going to be happy if you end up with an infection either,” he stated plainly and set aside the syringe. Tapping his finger on the padding beneath Marco, he looked up. “What else can we do?” Marco remains silent, watching Jean with dread. Jean’s eyes suddenly lit up and he turned back to Marco. “I know,” he stated as he moved the blade closer to Marco’s neck, cutting him over where the needle was just a moment ago, but only so that there would be minor bleeding. Marco tried to stay still, afraid of what would happen if he moved too much. Jean leaned down and lapped up the blood that was coming out._

_“I won’t cut any parts off,” Jean hummed, “I’ll just cut all over you.” As soon as he declared that last part, he pulled the blade over Marco’s nipple, leaving a small cut over it. Marco flinched as Jean sucked on the wound. It hurt, it hurt so badly._

_“We’ll be done when there is red all over you.” As soon as Jean made his intentions clear, he whispered an offer into Marco’s ear. “Unless you prefer castration.” Jean pressed the knife right against Marco’s scrotum, cutting him slightly. Marco clamped his teeth together to keep himself from screaming from the pain._

\--

Marco found himself stumbling over, remembering that punishment from that day.

“Marco?” Armin turned to see the fallen boy trying to stand back up.

“I’m – please don’t worry about me,” Marco tried to assure him before he stumbled back over. Krista ran over to him and supported him up.

“Let’s get you some water,” she suggested and led him to the side exit. After they were out, she had him sit on a bench and went to a water cooler. He leaned back and took deep breaths, trying to relax, while holding onto the necklace Jean gave him.

_Why did I remember that? It happened so long ago, and he didn’t castrate me in the end. Jean’s getting better, so there’s no point on remembering what happened then. Plus, I’m sure he left those things behind..._

“Here.” Marco looked to his side and saw Krista holding a cup with water to him. He nodded and took it from her.

“I’m sorry for causing trouble, for you and your friends… and girlfriend.” Marco slowly drank some of the water before speaking.

“It’s nothing,” she assured him as she sat down, “I’ve dealt with worse things when volunteering.”

That’s right. Marco looked at his drink, swirling it around.

“… Were you volunteering back at the military grounds, when I was there?”

She looked at him and didn’t answer for a moment. “I volunteer at Fort Trost frequently, in a way. So yes.”

“You’re military?”

“No, there are a lot of injured people there who need help. I want to help others, and even though I’m not a nurse yet, I can still assist them.”

“So... You’re in medical training?”

“Yep. That’s how I met Ymir.” She smiled when mentioning the freckled girl’s name.

Marco nodded before speaking again. “… No offense, but she seems mean.”

Krista laughed. “She can be mean to a lot of people, but she can good to others. She’s just shows that kindness to those who she can really trust.”

Marco looked at his drink. “… Can I ask you something else? Well, actually, two more questions.”

“Sure.”

He looked at her before proceeding with the first question. “Do you know about why I was in the hospital?” Marco was afraid to hear her answer, but he wanted to know the truth.

“… I know that you were found dehydrated, but that’s it. I was only there that day to hand out meals and help with treatment.”

He sighed in relief. She didn’t seem to know anything about the assault.

“What was your second question?”

“… It’s not important.” He was going to ask her not to tell Eren anything if she knew about the assault, but seeing that she didn’t, there was no need.

“Are you sure?” “Yeah, sorry for bothering you,” Marco hung his head. “I’m so hopeless.” Krista looked at him directly. “No. You’re not.”

What? Marco blinked in confusion. “Um… didn’t you just see… I-“ Before the rest of the sentence got out, they heard a very familiar voice down the hall.

“WHY DID YOU LET THE SECURITY GUARD DRAG ME OFF MIKASA?!”

“Cuuuuz there was a six year old who was starting to cry, and he asked you to quiet down, you didn’t listen.” Krista and Marco peaked around the corner and saw Eren walking behind Mikasa.

“Wait, a kid was crying?” Eren voice sounded a bit guilty now.

“Yes.”

Marco watched Eren gnaw his lip. “Guess I messed up?”

“Very.” Eren glared at Mikasa. He looked away from her and spotted Marco watching them. “Oh! Sorry about the…”

“Nah, it’s okay. Armin ended up taking the lead.” Marco tried to stand, but stumbled, dropping his cup. He braced himself, ready to meet the floor. Wasn’t the first time, probably wouldn’t be the last for a while.  As soon as Marco clamped his eyes closed, he felt something touching his chest, keeping him from making complete impact from the ground. He opened them and saw Eren had caught him.

“It’s okay, I got you.”

“O-oh, um…” Marco tried to pull himself up, “I’m sorry.” He found himself going down again and grappled onto Eren. “I’m really sorry,” He apologized again.

“It’s fine,”Eren replied as he helped Marco up.

_I’m just hopeless. That’s why I need to be with Jean._

“Are you okay?” Eren looked at him with worry as Marco tried to stand up on his own. “You look pale.”

“I’m fine. I’m just clumsy.” Marco smiled at Eren as he finally stood and both started to walk towards the exhibit together. “I’m sorry-“

“Marco, why do you keep apologizing?”

Marco turned his head to face Eren.

“Huh?”

“You keep apologizing for almost everything. Most of it is stuff that doesn’t need apologizing.” Marco rubbed his neck.

“… Habit, I guess.”

_… Doesn’t need apologizing?_

Marco glanced to the side. Most of the things that he had apologized were things that would annoy Jean, and would eventually lead up to a punishment. Apologizing would help evade punishment for a while, sometimes completely if it was something minor, but if there were multiple minor things that he had already gotten away with, Jean would finally reach his point and punishment. With the more major things, there was the hope that it wouldn’t be too severe of a punishment. Marco had been doing this… ever since he and Jean had… gotten serious.

They entered the exhibit, where they saw Armin trying to hold Ymir back from food ware that was probably not allowed to be touched and Reiner was presenting Bertholdt what was a very graphic depiction of roman pornography, the latter who hid a very red face. Eren turned to Marco.

“Uh, wanna go on?”

Marco nodded, worried that he might end up making a scene again. “Yeah.”

They quietly snuck past everyone else before entering the Middle ages for northern Europe. Marco walked up to a bone carving that had a giant devouring several people, trapped in a clear dome.

“Hmm,” Eren tilted his head at the figure, “Can’t tell if it’s a really good replica or an actual thing that’s been well preserved.” Eren looked to Marco. “Armin said that if an artifact is very fragile and needs to be repaired or preserved, museums would make replicas.” Eren looked back at the figure and walked to the other side. “My dad might have be able to tell though.”

Marco looked at him. “Your dad?”

Eren sighed. “Yeah. He was a doctor and a medical examiner. He would be able to tell how old the bone is, based on discoloration.”

“He sounded pretty smart.”

“Smart as a doctor, yeah. As a dad though…” Eren bit his lip, “He was… kinda shitty, looking back at it now. He used to seem like the greatest dad ever when I was smaller.”

“What do you mean by shitty?”

“… His idea of teaching me reliable skills was leaving me alone in the park when I was seven, with a map, and told me if I could get home in three hours, he’d take me to any amusement park I wanted.”

“By yourself?!”

“Yeah. Thankfully, he left me in the daytime with the phone.”

“Was this before, or after Mikasa was adopted?”

“Before. I remember because the second time he did it, she came after me and dragged me home.” Eren paused for a second. “Different park though.”

“How did he react?”

“Uh, lemme think.” Eren glanced away and rolled his tongue, thinking. “… He was impressed with her. She never been there before, and she did it with no problems. Unlike me the first time.”

“Guess you didn’t go to any amusement parks then?”

“No.”

Marco tried to laugh. “Wow. Almost makes me glad I don’t have a dad.” He turned his attention back to the bone in the container.

“He wasn’t the worst dad,” Eren stated as he leaned back a bit, “But my mom was still better on understanding kids.”

“…Your mom?”

“Yeah. She was really protective though. When Mikasa told her about what my dad instructed me to do…” Eren gritted his teeth before continuing, “She gave him an earful for the next few days. And told both of us that she didn’t want either me or Mikasa to be out of the house by ourselves without anyone know, a phone to call from, and to come back before night time.”

“Wow,” Marco nodded, “She sounds like she was kind of overprotective.”

“She had her reasons,” Eren commented and turned away, wandering over to what seemed like a cradle and quietly muttered something. “Just wish I knew that before she died.”

Marco wasn’t sure he heard that right. “Huh?”

“Ah, nothing.” Eren waved his hand.

“Oh,” Marco scratched his head nervously, “So-“

“If you say sorry again,” Eren gave him a very annoyed face, “I’ll see that you’ll be carrying me the rest of the day.”

Marco blinked, curious why carrying him would be the toll, and asked, “Are your feet hurting?”

“Wha, no!” Eren snapped defensively as he flushed red and turned around… and his foot was caught in the rug that was laid on the floor, just before face planting directly on it.

Marco watched in horror as Eren went down. “Eren!” He went over to the smaller boy, who was groaning. “Oh, god, did you twist your ankle?”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Eren assured as he sat up… showing that, like yesterday, his nose was bleeding.

“… Uhhh…” 

Eren looked at him. “What?” Marco pointed at the shirt he was wearing; Eren looked down at his shirt and saw that several drops of blood have fallen on it. “… Aw come on! This is a clean shirt, and it’s white!!” He immediately stood up, looking for something to check his reflection in. “AAGGGHHHH…”

Marco giggled at the smaller boy’s and approached Eren, who turned back to Marco.

“How bad is it?”

“Well… It looks better than what happened yesterday?”

Eren pouted as he used his sleeve to wipe his face. “Okay… that’s a good thing I guess…” The blood was already starting to slow down.

“Eren, where are you?” They both turned to the sound of Mikasa’s voice.

“Shit, can’t let her find me like this.” Eren grabbed Marco’s hand and ran further down the exhibit. Marco was surprised that he managed to keep up with him as they ran.

“Eren!” Hearing his sister again, he spotted a small section of the wall where it curved inward, completely dark, big enough for two people to fit in.

“In here,” Eren started to head for the pocket.

“No, no, Eren, please,” Marco tugged his hand, stopping Eren, “Don’t make me go in, please I’m begging you, please don’t…”.

Marco hated small places.

They reminded him of the cage.

\--

_“Jean, Jean, I’m sorry! I just thought that we could see the meteor shower together!” Marco sobbed as Jean dragged him down the stairs into the basement._

_“I told you not to go out!!” Marco flinched at the volume in Jean’s voice. It had been three weeks since the breakfast incident. Marco had heard that there was going to be a meteor shower that could be seen in the area. Jean had gone out for a few hours, and told Marco to stay indoors. Marco figured it wouldn’t hurt to go out to the back yard and wait for Jean. When Jean got home and saw Marco outside, he got mad. As soon as they were in the basement, Jean pulled Marco over to a medium sized cage._

_“I said that if you went out,” Jean snarled into his ear, “You wouldn’t be able to go anywhere for a while.”_

_“N-no, please!” Marco tried to pull his arm out of Jean’s grasp._

_“Get in!” Jean opened the cage and shoved Marco in, who barely managed to fit in there while siting up. As he was pushed in, his forehead collided with the bars, dazing him for a moment. He returned from his daze as he heard the cage close and something click. Marco turned to see Jean pulling the key away from the cage._

_“_ _Je-jean…” Marco grasped at the bars, “Please, calm down, I’m begging you-”_

_“DON’T FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!!” He kicked the cage with enough force to make it hit the wall, banging Marco around inside. Marco yelped, collapsing onto his side. He heard footsteps retreating from the cage. Marco turned and saw Jean heading back up stairs._ _“I hope you’ll think about what you’ve done while you’re in there.” With that, he disappeared up the steps and Marco heard the door close._

_“Please, please, I’m sorry,” Marco continued to beg. He tried to sit up but winced when he felt pain in his ribcage. He curled up into a ball and continued to cry. “I just wanted to see the meteor shower together…”_

\--

“Marco!”

Marco shook his head as he heard Eren saying his name. He realized that he was on the floor again, with Eren holding his hand while saying, “Shit, I’m sorry, I swear I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

“Wh-wait, what happened?”

“You started to hyperventilate, and you fell.”

_... Again?_

They heard Mikasa again, but saw her turn in the opposite direction they went in. Marco was relieved, he didn’t want her to see him like this as well. Without warning, Eren pulled Marco onto his back.

“N-no, Eren…”

“You’re not in a condition to walk around right now.” He hooked his hands under Marco’s legs, and said, “Put your arms around my neck.” Marco hesitantly did so, feeling ashamed of making Eren do this.

“I’m sor-”

“No, don’t apologize for this,” Eren stated as he stood up and carried Marco down the rest of the exhibit. “It’s fine having to rely on others once in a while. We all need to do it at some point.” Marco stayed quiet for a moment before letting a sigh escape him.

“I’m always relying on others though, I’m just a huge burden.” He let his head hang downwards. “Just ask my boyfriend.”

He felt Eren coming to a complete stop, prompting Marco to look up, and saw the smaller boy frowning.

“Eren?”

“… Does he tell you that?”

“H-huh?”

“That you’re a burden?” Marco bit the inside of his cheeks, not wanting to answer. There had been times when Jean had called him useless, nothing but a pain in the neck. But Jean hadn’t pushed him away yet, and said that he loved Marco. That meant something. “… Does he make you happy?”

“... What?”

“You told me earlier that you thought I deserved to be happy.”

That’s right, Marco did tell Eren that. Eren had been very kind towards Marco; Apologizing for calling him the amusing nickname ‘Dots’, worried about Marco not eating anything, apologized about nearly putting him in the small corner… he was a good person from what he witnessed so far. A temper, and stubborn, yes, but still good.

“Y-yeah…”

“I think that you deserve to be happy as well. If this boyfriend is considering you a burden, then he isn’t worth it.”

“N-no, it’s not like that. I mean…” Marco swallowed quietly before continuing, “He has his problems, but things have been improving. And everyone has flaws, so I just have to accept him for who he is, …”

“And put yourself beneath him in the process?”  

Marco gritted his teeth, wishing Eren would just drop the subject. “I said things were improving, so whatever happened before doesn’t matter-”

“If he did something repeatedly on purpose that hurt you, you can’t just ignore it!!” Eren’s voice became a bit louder with that single statement, causing Marco to instinctively flinch and tense up. “… Fuck, I didn’t mean to yell at you.” Eren dipped his head.

Marco glanced away, not sure how to feel. “N-no… can we just stop talking about this?”

“… Sure.”

\--

_It had been two days since Jean had put Marco in the cage. Marco had gotten sick and had to remove all of his clothes, since they were covered with puke. He hadn’t eaten or drank anything. He would constantly be falling asleep, waking up, hoping Jean would let him out, before passing out again. He was laying down on the cage floor, which was cold and hard. He blinked at the sound of footsteps approaching. He turned over onto his back and tried to push himself up. He instantly saw Jean kneeling down, unlocking the cage._

_“J-jea-ahn…” Marco barely recognized his voice, which was nothing more than a hoarse whisper just now. Jean opened the cage up and pulled Marco out, who barely could move his limbs. Marco was unable to keep his mind straight, and was loosing track of what was going on around him. When he regained his thoughts, they were in the bathroom. Jean was wrapping him in a towel, and Marco realized that he was slightly damp. Marco then noticed that his mouth tasted like toothpaste. Jean then lifted him, carrying him to the bedroom. When they got there, Jean laid Marco down on the bed, just before holding a glass of water at his mouth. Marco instantly opened his mouth, trying to drink all of the water immediately._

_“Slowly Marco,” Jean said as he held Marco’s head up. Not wanting to do anything dumb, Marco did as he was told, finishing the glass after a few minutes. Jean took the glass away and crawled over Marco. He traced his fingers over the bruise that had formed on his head from colliding with the cage bars. Marco let out a quiet moan when Jean pressed down._

_"Oh babe,” Jean hushed Marco by kissing the bruise, “You wouldn’t have gone through all of that if you had simply stayed inside. I thought you were going to leave.” Marco whimpered and nodded, remembering his promise to Jean._

_“I’m sorry, Jean, I’m so sorry I went out…” Jean continued to kiss him, going down his face and went for his neck._

_“I forgive you.” Marco stayed still as Jean continued to kiss downward. “Hopefully,” Jean looked up at Marco, “This won’t happen again.”_

\--

Marco shook his head, trying to clear his head. That was after the first punishment that Jean had used the cage for.

_But… it wasn’t the last._

Marco clenched his hands, wanting to grab onto the necklace Jean gave him. The cage… Jean used it again when Marco came back past his curfew a few weeks after the first incident. He left water in there for Marco, but had left all of the lights in the basement off. For four days. After that, it was for going to a town event that Jean had told Marco not to go to. The cage easily escalated to one of the punishments Marco dreaded most. The first cage was eventually replaced with an even more uncomfortable one, making it worse. But that was all in the past…

_If he did something repeatedly on purpose that hurt you, you can’t just ignore it._

Marco tried to flush out what Eren just told him out of his head. He wanted to forget the punishments, Jean hasn’t done anything bad since… that day…

_Laughter. Unwanted touches. Pain. Blood. Him pleading them to stop. Feeling corrupted, body and soul. Just… just wanting everything to end._

Marco was barely aware of the tears starting to roll down his face.

-

Eren felt something wet on the back on his neck. There was warmth with it as well. He looked to see what it was, and saw Marco crying. He was holding him pretty tightly just now, but Eren figured he was just holding on so he wouldn’t fall and that he was mad at him.

“Marco, Marco, what’s wrong?!”

_Shit, you fucked up Eren, you fucked up, you shouldn’t have yelled at him._

He took him outside the exhibit and carefully took the crying boy off his back, placing him on one of the benches. Marco looked at him confused and asked, “What?” He reached for his face and pulled back when he felt the wetness on his face.

“I didn’t mean anything about you when I yelled at you, I swear.”

“N-no, I’m sor…” Marco’s voice caught several times. “… Dammit, what the hell is wrong with me today?!” He pulled his knees up and buried his face into them, and started crying heavily. “I don’t know why everything is screwing up…” He sniffled. “You shouldn’t be wasting time with me Eren…”

Eren sat down next to Marco. “Don’t care.”

Marco pushed his face further down his knees, his breaths uneven. “… It wasn’t you yelling at me… I’m just... so goddamn pathetic…”

“… Hey, Marco…” Eren turned so that he directed at Marco, “… Did you agree with going out today because you were afraid of saying no? I mean, if you prefer to leave…” Marco shook his head.

“N-no… I really wanted to go out… I wanted to spend some time with you… not like that, I mean, you’re friends seem like they are good people but… never mind.”

“…Do I seem like I can be trusted?” Eren listened as Marco’s breathing started to even out again.

“… I… want to believe you are… But… I’m scared of trusting you at the same time…” Eren watches as Marco slowly looked over his knees and directly at him. “… Does that sound stupid to you? That I I’m scared to trust someone, even though they’ve been helping me?”

Remaining quiet, Eren took the handkerchief out, and making sure that there wasn’t too much blood in it, he offered it to Marco.

“No. It doesn’t.”

Marco looked at the handkerchief and back at Eren before hesitantly reaching for it. “… I figured you would have thrown it away… I told you I didn’t need it back.”

“Yeaaah, I have a pretty bad habit on keeping things that are dirty… my legal guardian has huge fits when I let my laundry pile grow in my bedroom.”

Marco tried to laugh as he used the not-so-clean cloth to wipe his face. “Can’t be that bad…”

Eren chuckled. “I wish.”

There had been several incidents when Levi targeted him during a cleaning fit, testing the clothes to make sure that there wasn’t any mold growing on them at one point…. The clothes were dirty for a month, underwear included, so Levi had his reason to go berserk.

“… Hey Eren?”

“Yes?”

“… Why are you putting up with me?” Eren twiddled with his thumbs. He couldn’t just tell him that he was a titan that killed people that were going to assault him and couldn’t remember, and that Eren wanted to keep him safe because he now felt responsible and figured something bad was going on.

_...That just sounded very stalker-like._

“Marco,” Eren started, “I said that everyone has to rely on others at some point, so I don’t mind if you need help for something. And from what I’ve seen so far, you are a caring person.” Marco had been very polite and attentive to others. It wasn’t just the kind of polite that people do because of expectations, it was genuine kindness. “So,” Eren smiled at him, “I think that anyone is lucky to receive that kindness from you.”

“… Lucky?” Marco asked with disbelief, as if he never heard anyone say good things about him directly.

“Yeah.”

“… I hardly believe you.”

“Guess that makes it harder to trust me?”

Marco tried to laugh. “I dunno.” There was a quiet moment between the two boys as Marco tried to stop crying.

The way he kept downtalking himself, the withdrawnness, … it seemed like the result of emotional abuse. It wasn’t physical harm, but Eren had seen it before…

_So Jean is hurting him._

There was something else about Marco’s behavior… the hyperventilating. So… still to early to say it was just emotional abuse. But now, Eren knew that he had to get Marco away from Jean.

_But can I do it before we kill Jean?_

Eren was afraid that waiting for Jean to come back, then for Reiner or the other two killing him would give Jean time to do more damage to Marco. A person could only handle so much before breaking beyond repair, and he was afraid of Marco reaching his permanent breaking point.

… Like his mom almost did.

\--

_“Eren, Mikasa, where’s your mother?” Eren looked up from his attempt of copying the Mona Lisa and saw his dad leaning in. “Uhhh, bedroom. Napping I think.” His dad nodded and walked away from the doorway._

_“Hey.” Eren looked over to Mikasa._

_“Do you think everything is okay?”_

_“Sure, I mean, mom was a bit bossier than normal today, but…”_

_There was a thumping noise coming from their parent’s bedroom._

_"_ _Wait, what was that?”_

_“Shh, be quiet,” Mikasa said as she raised her hand. There was… crying. Eren looked at Mikasa. “Sounds like mom.”_

_The walked out of the bedroom and looked over to the room where the noise came from. Eren and Mikasa looked at each other before nodding in silent agreement. They tiptoed over to the door, which was lightly open. Eren peeked in and saw his dad holding his mom as she was crying on the floor. Eren then noticed the blood running down her arm._

_“Mom?” Eren pushed the door open, alerting both of his parents._

_“Eren, sweetie,” His mother shook her head, “This, this isn’t a good time…” She tried to hide her arm from him._

_"Eren,” His father sighed, “Can… you and Mikasa give us a moment, your mother needs some time…”_

_“What happened?” Eren tried to go into the room to check on his mom, but was stopped by Mikasa._

_“Let’s just do what dad asks.” She pulled him away. Eren looked back his parents, and saw his mother curling slightly. Before he was completely outside, he heard his father ask his mother something._

_“Was it the nightmare again, Carla?”_

_“… Grisha, it’s nothing…”_

_“Carla, they can’t get you now.”_

\--

Eren ruffled his hair a bit, recalling the first time he witnessed one of his mother’s breakdowns. His father later told him and Mikasa that their mother was… tormented when she was younger, and that something earlier that day had triggered her, giving her nightmares and made her break a vase that was in the bedroom, and injured herself. He said that when his mother finally got out of the situation, she was very broken, and would have problems for possibly the rest of her life. Three days after his mother’s breakdown, Eren asked her what his father meant by broken. She told him that for her, it meant being afraid of everything and letting those who were hurting her control her completely. He asked why, and she said that it was because the bad people had convinced her that she was useless, no one else wanted her, and that she was better staying with them. He didn’t really understand it then… but later on… he did. As well as her protectiveness of him and Mikasa.

He looked back over to Marco, who was gripping onto a necklace that hung around his neck, almost hidden by the scarf.

_It’s not too late for him, not yet._

Marco was still willing to go out to the outside world.

“… I think I’m good now,” Marco said as he tried to stand up, wobbling a bit as he did. “I’m…”

Eren shook his head before the next part had a chance to slip out. “No, it’s fine, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He stood up and rubbed his neck. “Are you interested in the exhibit, or…”

“… I dunno… Oh! Do you want this back?” Marco held the handkerchief out.

“It’s originally yours, so you can decide.”

“N-no, I have more at home, and I gave it to you,” Marco said.

“I meant to give it back to you eventually, so I want you to decide,” Eren insisted while crossing his arms.

“... Well, then I decided that I want you to keep it.”

“You sure?”

Marco nodded and folded the handkerchief up. "Y-yeah.”

Eren reached for and felt his fingers rub against Marco’s own. Eren felt his cheeks start to flush and grabbed the handkerchief. “T-thanks…” He looked back down at his shirt, noting the eyesore of a blood stain. “I just need to wash this out before Mikasa or Armin finds me…” Eren muttered.

“Uh, there’s a cafeteria here, right? If they have club soda, we can use that.”

“Really?”

"Yeah, works like a charm.”

_I’ll keep that in mind for the handkerchief then._

“Okay, guess we just need to find our way there.”

Marco smiled. “Alright.” He was about to start walking before stopping briefly. “About what you said earlier… I’m not sure I believe any of the good things you said about me… but… I enjoyed hearing all of it.”

“… I’m not asking you to believe me. Just wanted you to listen.”

Marco looked at him and nodded. “Alright.” As Eren watched him go over to the directory, he caressed the handkerchief that he was holding.

It was still warm with tears.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long to get up!! I was having a few problems when I was putting it up the first time, so I had to delete the chapter twice... hopefully no one noticed. If you did, sorry!!  
> There is mentions of gore/violence/abuse that I think could be considered torture. Please proceed with caution.

“Excuse us, sorry,” Marco apologized as he pushed past a mother with her kids as he and Eren made their way through the cafeteria. His eyes were still burning and red from crying, so he tried to avoid eye contact, but felt bad for being rude. Marco mentally slapped himself for his breakdown earlier.

_I don’t want to have anymore today. Once was embarrassing enough, let alone twice._

He spotted the drink section. “Okay, now we just need to find some club soda, then we can take care of the rest in the restroom.”

“Okay,” Eren nodded and started to search the bottles. “Is there a preference of brands, or will any work?”

“If they have ‘Mists’, then let’s get that one, it works pretty well. If not, then I’m sure that we’ll find something else. It’ll take a little longer though,” Marco said as he tried to stand on his toes to look at the top shelf, but stopped when he felt his thighs hurt. Slightly. They were still sore from the sex he had with Jean, even after the painkillers.

_Damn, I thought they wouldn’t be hurting anymore._

“Found some! Not the Mists thing though.” Eren held a bottle with a blue label so Marco could see it. “Will this work?”

Marco walked over, trying not to aggravate the pain in his legs while doing so. He asked for the bottle so he could examine it. As soon as Eren gave him it, Marco checked to see if it was actually carbonated. “Yeah, that will work.” He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

“It’s okay, I’ll pay for it,” Eren interrupted him. “And before you complain about it, you paid for lunch yesterday, so it’s only fair… and it’s my shirt technically. “ Before Marco could protest, Eren took the bottle back and went to the register and paid for it with his own money. He looked back at Marco. “I’ll still let you help me with removing the mess though,” Eren said half-jokingly as he gestured to the dried blood in his shirt.

Marco tried to laugh. “Fine. We just need to use a sink.” Marco pulled out the map and searched for the restroom. “I think it would be better to use the family restroom. Don’t have to worry about a line.” He found the marking for the restroom past the cafeteria’s hallway. “We just need to go down to the left,” He said before showing Eren the map and taking the bottle from him.

Soon they got there and both of them went in. And as soon as they did, Marco realized that he was essentially all by himself with Eren. Whose shirt was halfway up when he noticed Marco was looking, a small blush coming to his face. Same as Marco.

_Oh god._

“Uhh,” Marco scratched his head, “Are you sure that you need my help?” He pointed back at the door. “Do you want privacy? I can wait outside…”

Eren glaced away. “Uhhh, I dunno… I’m not good with cleaning stains… unless you prefer to be outside…” Eren lowered his shirt so it was it all the way down again.

Marco bit his lip. He did want to help Eren, and the bathroom wasn’t too small, but if he felt uncomfortable with Marco being present, then he wasn’t going to force him to put up with him. Eren had already done so earlier.  “… So, what do you want?” He asked, fidgeting with the bottle held in his hands.

Eren ran his hand through his hair, letting out a small huff. “… I… I think that you should show me how to do the cleaning thing…” He grasped at his shirt, getting ready to take it off again.

Marco nodded and immediately turned. “Alright, I just need to get the sink clean and fill it with the club soda.” As he was washing the suds down the drain during the cleaning process, he realized that Eren was visible in the mirror right above the sink. Eren was… definitely someone who was physically active. He wasn’t as muscular as Reiner, but he had a set of abs that was probably worth the bragging rights. Shyly glancing to look at the actual person, he noticed a tattoo on Eren’s left shoulder. It looked like a crest mark with a pair of wings, one blue and the other one white. Marco quickly turned away so he wouldn’t be caught.

_Why are you bothering to look at him? You already have a boyfriend._

Making sure that the sink was clean enough, he closed the drain and filled the sink with the drink. “Okay, do you want me to show you how to do this?”

Eren walked over, before mumbling, “Yes.” He looked at Marco, and held his shirt up. “What do I do with this?”

Marco laughed softly. “Put it in, silly. Why else would we need the sink?” Eren flushed and turned away and pushed his shirt into the sink a little too roughly, making it splash out and land on their shoes, but mostly on Eren’s, making him grimace, which Marco bit his lip so he wouldn’t laugh out loud. It was absolutely priceless.

“AW SHIT!” Eren cursed as he stepped back. He quickly took his shoes off and checked his socks. “At least they’re still dry…” Eren muttered before slipping them back on. He walked back up to the sink. When he was next to Marco again, he glanced over to him before asking, “Now what?”

“Just rub the area with the blood to loosen it up and let it sit for a while. Fifteen minutes should be enough.”

Eren nodded, “Alright.” Running his fingernail over the bloody stain that was submerged, some of the blood lifted out, turning the soda a faint pink. Marco was very familiar with seeing this.

\--

_Marco sniffled as he was hunched over in the bathroom sink. Jean had just finished with one of the punishments, which this time resulted in three torn out nails, the fingers now bandaged, and a bleeding nose. It was one of the punishments that resulted from a buildup of minor rule breaking, triggered this time by Marco leaving the back door unlocked after coming back inside from raking the leaves. It had been two weeks since his punishment prior to this one, which was at least much faster than what would happen if it were a punishment for a major rule broken._

_Jean had dragged Marco from making diner and into the basement, during which he slammed Marco into a wall, thus the bleeding nose. Marco didn’t think it was broken though, much to his surprise… Jean had forced Marco onto the rack and showed him a new ‘toy’ he had gotten, a pair of pliers, and said that the situation was good for a test run. He finished with Marco after tearing the third nail out, after telling him that the next time that they’ll use the pliers for removing Marco’s nails, it will be all of them._

_The shirt that Marco had been wearing during the entire punishment had blood all over it. He slowly took it off, being careful with his fingers wrapped in gauze, and his nose. When he had gotten it off, he looked around for the club soda that he kept in the bathroom for cleaning blood. As soon as he found it, he filled the sink with it and placed his shirt in, rubbing at the stains. He watched as the clear substance turned pink, then slowly changed to a faint red._

_He turned at the sound of the door opening, and saw Jean coming in. Marco turned around so he would be facing Jean completely. “J-jean,” he whimpered, afraid that Jean was going to tell him that they were not done with the punishment, and that they just took a break._

_Jean slowly approached Marco, his face completely unreadable. Marco staid in place, afraid that he would aggravate the situation if he tried to move. Much to his surprise, Jean touched his face delicately, pulling him closer. “How are you feeling Marco?” Jean sounded concerned, the same way he sounded back in Jinae._

_“… Hurts…” Marco silently sobbed, reaching to touch Jean’s hand, flinching when he felt pain shoot through his fingers. He was using the one that had the nails removed._

_“Shh, shh,” Jean hushed Marco, stroking his cheek with his thumb. “I had to do it. You needed to be reminded that the back door is to be locked when you’re inside the house.” He placed a kiss on the side of Marco’s face. “It’s not even that bad, finger nails grow back.”_

_“Yes,” Marco agreed, not wanting to start a fight and be punished again._

_Jean smiled. “Hey, I was thinking we could go out tomorrow. There’s a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try out.”_

_Marco nodded. “Y-yeah, that sounds great.”_

_Jean pulled away from Marco. “Great. I’ll try to make reservations.” He was about to leave when he stopped. “I suggest you find some gloves before then though. The bandages on your hands look hideous.”_

\--

Marco chewed his lip, shaking his head slightly. He looked over to Eren, who wasn’t looking at him thankfully. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him. Why was he remembering punishments, today of all days? The pliers was only used for denailing once, so it’s not like that punishment mattered… Marco grasped his necklace in an effort to calm himself.

“So…” Eren started, tapping the rim of the sink, “… How do you want to kill time? I can’t exactly walk around half naked outside for 15 minutes.”

“… Oh, uh… I have no idea…”

“… You okay with truth or dare?”

“… No.” Marco crossed his arms and frowned at him.  “Plus I think you need three people for that.”

Eren tried to laugh. “Okay… I can’t really think of anything better to do…”

Marco fidgeted for a moment. “… Hey… Armin asked me earlier if I was familiar with the legend of Medusa, while we were in the exhibit together… Do you know any… never mind, it’s a dumb question.“

Eren blinked. “Did he give you the lectures of ‘mythology has been watered down’ and the statues with paint before asking?”

Marco nodded. “I have to admit, he’s very persistent with having the original versions presented.”

“Yeah, he happens to be very radical, and would always speak his mind, even if it’s unpopular. He was always bullied on when we were younger for that.”

Marco nodded. “Oh… now I feel bad for saying that it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Eren stretched before continuing, “I would help him fight those jerks.”

“Yeah? He told me that he would have to treat injuries you got. Before Mikasa took care of the fights for you” Marco teased, wanting to see how Eren would react.

Eren paused and turned to face him, his mouth hanging open. “… Not all the time!” He turned a faint red as he protested.

“What,” Marco continued to tease, “The bandaging you up, Mikasa fighting for you, or both?”

Eren growled. “Shut up.” He glanced away.

“I’ll take both,” Marco said.

Eren stayed quiet for a moment and turned back at Marco. “… About what Armin asked you, Medusa? Do you know anything?”

Marco rubbed his neck. “… I know that she was a normal girl, then she was turned into a monster. And then beheaded.” He glanced away for a moment before continuing. “… Is any of that right?”

“Well, that’s the basic outline,” Eren replied. “But, he already told you on how the mythologies are usually retold? So that the protagonists are the ones we sympathize with?” Marco nodded before Eren continued. “…Well, she was a priestess for Athena. A faithful one.”

“Wait,” Marco raised his hand to interject, “I thought Athena was the one who turned her into a monster?”

“She was… but… before I tell you the next part, do you… have a problem with talking about rape?”

Marco froze.

_Say you do, he asked. If you tell him, he’ll drop it._

Marco wringed his hands. No. He was afraid of what Eren would think of him if he said that he was uncomfortable talking about rape. Plus, it wasn’t like it was real. “Not really…”

Eren took a big inhale through his nose before continuing. “Well, she was a virgin, which was the requirement to be a priestess. However, Poseidon advanced on her… and raped her. In the temple where she would perform her duties. In ancient Greece, women were property of the spouse or guardian, the guardian in this case was Athena. However, since Medusa was raped in the temple, and no longer a virgin, it was seen as defiling the temple. Athena… punished her for what happened by turning her into a monster.”

Marco covered his mouth. “Oh god…” He started to feel sick, so he went to sit up against the wall. He grasped at the necklace again, hoping he wasn’t going to throw up or start acting weird again. He thought.... He figured he would be able to handle it.

_Guess I can’t handle talking about that stuff out loud after all._

Eren watched him and walked over to where Marco plopped down.  “… Mind if I sit next to you?”

Marco shook his head slowly, “No…” He watched as Eren sat cross-legged right next to him. “I, uh… I thought I wasn’t that sensitive… I know it’s just a story, but… she didn’t deserve what happened to her.” He looked over to Eren. “Now I feel bad for telling Armin that I thought that anyone who was punished had it coming … guess I really don’t know anything…”

Eren nodded. “No. I think any decent person would be capable of having the same reaction… And quite frankly, many people are surprised by the original version of the story, so you don’t need to feel to bad for telling Armin.” He looked at Marco, giving him a reassuring smile. “We don’t need to talk about it anymore.”

Marco nodded, and after a moment he found his gaze focusing back onto the tattoo. “So… can I… ask you about….” He pointed to the tattoo. He was curious. Jean also had tattoos, but Marco himself didn’t. Jean told Marco that he could henna, but he didn’t want anything permanent on him. The first time Marco tried it, Jean had paid for the stuff and did the design himself, which was placed on his neck to look like a collar.

Eren looked at where Marco was pointing. “Oh, this? I got it last year.”

“Legally?”

Eren grimaced. “… No. Sadly, it was one of Ymir’s stunts. I had my wisdom teeth taken out, and I was on some pretty heavy painkillers. As in, would make you hallucinate and do things that you would never do in your right mind kind of heavy. It was the third day and I think she took us to some kind of rave, and I took my meds with me. Next morning, I find her standing over me with a sneer, saying it was a good thing they had me on the painkillers when I was getting the tattoo.”

Marco gulped. “Did... you get in trouble?”

“I had a fight with my legal guardian. He wasn’t happy that I got one and wanted me to go to surgery to get it removed. I thought it would be cool to keep it though. He also insisted on making sure I didn’t get any diseases transmitted from the incident.” He shuddered. “And he had me grounded and doing Mikasa’s share of the chores for two weeks.”

“I thought Ymir was the one responsible?”

“Yeah, he kinda told me before hand not to go to the rave and…” He grinned bashfully. “I wasn’t that lucid when I went.”

Marco giggled. “Oh, that does sounds grounding and chore-worthy.”

“Don’t you dare judge me,” Eren said jokingly, “Or… I’ll sick Mikasa on you.”

“… What, too scared to fight me?” Marco teased back. Eren could probably snap him in half if he wanted to. The thought scared Marco, making him unconsciously hug himself. He made sure not to show his fear though. “Or are you just lazy?” He gently prodded at Eren’s cheek, feeling a fair amount of fat there. “You look you still have some baby fat.”

Eren groaned and covered his face. “Oh god, not you too…”

Marco blinked, interested. “Oh?”

“Everyone keeps saying I have baby fat!” Eren pulled his hands away from his face. “I KNOW I GOT SOME, BUT DO THEY NOT SEE I HAVE MUSCLES TOO?!”

“Well, you do cover up the most apparent set,” Marco mused, tilting his head at Eren’s abs. “And even if you do have baby fat, it doesn’t matter… I used to be a lot heavier when I was younger.”

\--

_“Hey, Marco?” Eight year old Marco looked up from his cake and saw Jean looking directly at him._

_“What?”_

_“Can I feel your cheeks?” Jean asked with pleading eyes. “Please?”_

_“Why?” It had been a few days since the kids at school tried to make him eat the bad apple. He hadn’t told the teacher, but Jean did. Miss Miller had kept Marco home from school when she received a call. Marco had been shying away from almost everyone… except Jean. He was starting to feel ashamed of the fat he had._

_“They look so soft, and squishy. I just think it would be very nice to feel them.” Jean smiled as he slumped over the table they were sitting at. “So… can I?”_

_Marco felt his cheeks turn red. “… You’re just telling me that because of what happened at school.”_

_Jean shook his head. “Nope. I mean it. I also have some fat too, so I have no right to judge you on how you look.”_

_It was true. It wasn’t as apparent as Marco, but Jean was chubby as well. Marco hesitated a moment before muttering, “Alright.”_

_Jean smiled and said, “Thanks!” He got out of his chair that was directly across Marco and walked around the table so he was standing right next to Marco. “Can you turn to face me?” Marco nodded and rotated in his seat. Jean smiled and reached for Marco’s face. He gently touched the cheeks, running his thumbs over the freckles that sat there. “Wow, they are soft,” Jean softly laughed at the affirmation. “Can I try squeezing them?”_

_“… Just not too hard.”_

_“Okay, I won’t. Trust me.” Jean gave both of them a small pinch, which hurt a little bit, but not to much. “That okay?”_

_Marco didn’t answer for a moment. “… It’s fine…” He looked down at Jean’s feet. “I hate them anyway.”_

_Jean cupped Marco’s face. “No. Don’t say that. You’re you, and that alone is perfect. Your body is fine the way it is. Don’t let any of those jerks at school tell you otherwise.”_

_Marco nodded, feeling his eyes starting to water, but no tears came out. “Okay…”_

_Jean then wrapped his arms around him._

\--

Marco ran his fingers over his knuckles as he recalled that childhood memory. He thinned out when Jean left; sadden by the loss of his best friend. After the first year without him, he stopped loosing weight, and then puberty kicked in somewhat, making him grow some more. And gain weight again. He did gain some fat back, but he didn’t return to the same chubbiness he had when he was in Jinae with Jean.

He thought about what Jean told him back then, about his body being fine the way it was. He had almost forgotten about that moment. Marco almost laughed at the memory. When he and Jean were separate, Jean had developed a preference for sleek people, meaning no fat. Marco had once considered taking some physical classes when he first arrived to Rose, but that changed when he and Jean started to date. Jean said he wasn’t interested in muscular people either, and Marco thought it wouldn’t hurt not to take the classes. Except now he became overweight according to Jean, and had to go on a diet. If Jean wanted him to change something, then it shouldn’t be too hard… right?

But if Marco had to be honest, he really didn’t want to start dieting. He agreed initially because he didn’t want to find out what the punishment was going to be if he refused to loose weight. Jean just wanted him to loose a few more pounds… that shouldn’t be to hard or take too long…

“Marco?” Eren’s voice snapped Marco out of his thoughts.

“Uh, yeah?”

“You okay? You were awfully quiet.”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Marco lied, faking a small smile

_Quick, change the subject so he doesn’t ask anything else!_

“… Does anyone else have tattoos?” Marco was curious to know if Eren was the only

“… You didn’t see the one Mikasa has? It was on her wrist.” Eren emphasized his right wrist. “It’s kinda small though, so I guess you would have to be up close to notice it. Anyway, to answer your question, it’s a set of birds. I think she based it off the one her birth mom had? Never asked about it.”

“O-oh, I didn’t notice it… I wasn’t paying any attention…” Marco scratched his nose in embaressment.

“Well, obviously Ymir. She has the ones that would normally be visible, but most of them are covered up today, so don’t be surprised you haven’t noticed them yet. Armin considered getting one, but after that rave incident and apparently watching the actual tattooing process…” Eren crossed his arms, “He said it could wait.” He glanced to the side as he recalled something else. “I’m not sure if he meant it or if it was one of his flirting routines with Bertholdt, but three weeks Reiner joked about getting a ‘low and important tattoo’ for Bertholdt, and I haven’t seen him naked after that…” He groaned and turned back to Marco. “Honestly, I don’t wanna know or think about what it would look like or where it would be if he actually has one, so let's just leave it at that.”

Marco scrunched his nose, not wanting to envision the possible location of said-potential tattoo… given what he observed at breakfast, and seeing the way that he flirted with Bertholdt in the exhibit, he felt it was definitely something of the bedroom stuff. “Ah ha ha ha, yeah,” He said forcefully, “Let’s not talk about that…”

Eren nodded. “Yeah. Good idea.” Then after a moment; “… Do you have any?”

“HUH?!” Marco felt himself flush red at the question. He stammered in embarrassment, “Ah, well, I-I-I, no, I m-mean, I never really wanted to get one! Or thought of it! I-I I’ve tried henna before, last year, but only when my boyfriend offered.”

Hearing the boyfriend being mentioned, Eren glanced to the side. “… Really.” He asked in a low voice.

Marco didn’t want to have another debate about Jean again with Eren, so he immediately spoke up to prevent it from happening. “Th-that’s not important though…” He hugged his knees to his chest. “I don’t think I’ll get a permanent tattoo as long as I live.”

“Hmm. That’s fine.” Eren stretched his arms a bit. “… Wait. How long has the shirt been soaking now?”

Oops. Marco had forgotten entirely about the reason why they were in the bathroom in the first place. “Oh god, I have no idea,” Marco exclaimed in alarm and shot up to see the shirt. The soda had turned a deeper shade of pink, closer to red, and Marco pulled the shirt out to check the bloodstain. It was still there, but was significantly smaller. “Not there yet, but it shouldn’t take too long.” He submerged the shirt again and rubbed the stain again to remove some more blood before leaving it in there and walked back over to Eren. “I think it just needs another five minutes.”

“Okay, so around…” Eren reached into his pants and pulled out his phone to check the time. “… 11:45.”

Marco replayed that in his head. He had spent over two hours outside the apartment today. It felt pretty short to him. The bus ride took 30 minutes, and it was about a 15 minute walk from the bus stop to the apartment. Marco wanted to be back by 5:30, so he would have to leave before 4:45, so maybe 4:30 would be a good time?

_Yeah, just in case of traffic. So I have less than four hours._

He then heard the air conditioner turn on. After a few seconds, Marco shivered at the change in temperature and rubbed his hands together, happy he had a scarf with him.

“You cold?” Eren leaned away from the wall, looking at Marco.

“J-just a little… not that I can’t handle it,” he answered.

Eren nodded. “We can use the air blower to dry the shirt off, right?”

Marco looked over to the hands dryer next to the sink and back at Eren. “Yeah, you won’t have to worry about walking around with a wet shirt. Let alone a white wet shirt.” He shivered again and rubbed his arms in an attempt to make body heat. Suddenly he felt Eren touch his shoulders, making Marco stiffen and look at the green eyed boy.

“Uh Dots… Marco,” Eren immediately corrected himself, not that Marco really minded, “… Can I… try to keep you warm?” Eren asked the seemingly harmless question with a small flush.

“B-by what means?”

“Uh… hugging… or snuggling…”

“N-no, I’ll be fine.” Marco didn’t want Eren to bother helping him with something as silly as being a bit cold. He had been colder before. And he wasn’t up for hugging. That would be a bit… personal.

“Lemme warm up your hands then,” Eren stated as he moved so he was in front of Marco. “… Please?” Figuring Eren would just keep insisting while they were in the restroom, he nodded hesitantly. He held his hands out to Eren, who took them into his own to feel them.

“W-wow, you’re really warm…” Marco said in complete surprise, nearly jumping at the heat difference between the two sets of hands. Eren’s own hand was almost like a heated blanket. “Why is the half-naked person much warmer than the clothed one with a scarf?” Marco asked in an attempt to be funny.

Eren shifted his gaze from Marco. “Ummm… Higher metabolism?” His voice sounded a tad embarrassed.

“Or the baby fat,” Marco said.

Eren returned his visual focus back to Marco. “No comment.” He took Marco’s right hand and rubbed his hands all over it to warm it up. “… My mom used to do this with me when I was younger.”

“She did?”

“Y-yeah.” He smiled as he continued rubbing Marco’s hands while he spoke. “I think she did it starting when I was a baby. She did the same thing for Mikasa.”

“Hmm.” He smiled Eren. “You really loved her. Even though you said she was over protective.”

Eren chuckled shyly. “Yeah. There were times she would drive me nuts, and vise versa, but we managed to work it out.” He stopped rubbing his hands. “Do you want me to do your other hand now?”

Marco touched the hand that had been warmed up with other hand. His remaining hand was still freezing while the other one felt much better. “S-sure.” He was about to hold his hand out when he decided to try something. He lower his body so only part of his back was against the wall. He was half-laying on the floor, and held his cold hand out to Eren mockingly, trying to imitate one of those cliché portraits of royalty lying on a couch being attended by a servant. “Attend my needs.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he accidentally slid further down the wall. “Oof!”

“Are you hurt?!”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Marco assured Eren as he tried to sit up again. He felt Eren grab the cooler hand and help him up.

“Here, I got you.” As soon as Marco was sitting up right again, Eren started to massage the hand he was holding. After a moment, a small laugh came out of Eren. “That was pretty funny. Not the sliding down part, the pose I mean.”

“Y-you think?”

“Yep.”

“I just thought of it. I don’t usually goof around like that.” Marco shrugged, “Wasn’t that good.”

“It was a lot better than Reiner, I can tell you that…” Eren said.

Marco nodded. His thoughts then wandered to how Reiner and Bertholdt were getting a long so well, how open they were of their relationship. He glanced up at Eren, wondering if it would be okay for him to ask Eren how long they have been together, or known each other… No. It wouldn’t be. It wasn’t any of his business.

Eren looked up at Marco, noticing his somber expression. “Marco, what’s wrong?” He stopped rubbing Marco’s hands and looked at him straight into the eye.

“Oh, sorry, I was thinking of something dumb…”

Eren made a face at the ‘sorry’ word being spoken. “It really is a habit,” he said in defeat. Marco was about to say sorry again when Eren pressed his fingers against his mouth. “NOT THIS TIME,” He declared while frowning.

Marco felt himself giggle at his face. “M’, Alright,” He muffled out through Eren’s fingers. He then noticed how warm they felt against his face, just before they retreated and went back to his hands

_This is… so much like what the giant in my dream did…_

Marco batted the thought away. The giant was just that, a dream. He then blinked when he realized the shirt should be done. “… wait, what time is it?”

Eren pulled his phone out, turning the clock display on. “11:46.”

“Okay, I guess we should get the shirt out of the sink then,” Marco said as he rose to his feet with Eren following his movements. They both went back to the sink and checked the shirt. The blood had been completely removed.

“Hallelujah,” Eren said with a sigh of relief. “Now I won’t have Armin sticking Mikasa on to me.”

Marco laughed quietly at Eren’s declaration. “Okay, let’s just dry this thing before you put it back on, or else you will be cold, and quiet possibly sick.” He wrung the shirt to remove the excess club soda so that they would have an easier time with the blow dryer. Letting the sink drain out, he made sure the insides of the shirt wasn’t sticking to each other as he looked back up to Eren. “Won’t take long.”

“I know. Anything I can do to help?”

“Uh, hold the bottom of the shirt, and keep it open. It’ll dry off faster.” Eren followed Marco’s instructions as they moved it under the hand dryer. It automatically turned on, releasing a blast of hot air, a lot bigger than Marco expected. “Wha-PFFT!!” He had to turn his face away the dryer, nearly dropping the shirt. After a few minutes, the shirt felt dry again. “Okay, that’s good,” Marco managed to say and gently pulled the shirt away from the air blower, Eren following suite. As soon as both boys were far enough, Marco looked to see how Eren looked. The poor brunette had his hair assaulted by the blast of air and was now a mess. Marco slightly snickered.

“Don’t. Laugh.” Eren stated angrily while fixing it.

“Not laughing,” Marco mumbled through his lips, handing the shirt over to Eren. Eren quickly pulled the shirt over his head and pulled it completely down, hiding the tattoo on his shoulder.

“We better go, the others are probably almost done with the exhibit.” He opened the bathroom door and held it open for Marco. As soon as Marco was out, Eren followed him. Just then, Marco heard a phone going off, and it wasn’t his. Eren pulled his phone out and answered. “Hey Armin. We got out already… We’re on the first floor… wait, please don’t tell me Ymir is on the run again from security guards…” Marco stared at Eren as he continued to talk on the phone. He really hoped he wouldn’t have too hard of a time. “…  You want to meet up in Latin America section? … Sure I guess…” After a nodding he said, “We’ll be there in a moment,” and hung up. “He says that they just finished the exhibit and are going to another one. Do you want to go check it out?”

“Yeah. Which floor is it on?”

“Uh,” Eren took his map out and scanned it. “… Fifth floor. I saw an elevator not to far from here. Wanna take it or do you prefer stairs?”

“I think I can handle an elevator.” Marco walked right behind Eren, following him as the green eyed boy was looking at his map and leading both of them in what was suppose to be the right direction. Just as they were walking past a man that was a few years older than both of them, he felt his scarf being tugged backwards and around the corner, loosing Eren. “Ah!” He felt the scarf tighten around his neck, painfully pulling against the bruises and bites hiding underneath. He turned to face the man, who had was gripping the scarf in his hands. “S-sir, can you please let go of my scarf?” He wanted to run, but he was afraid what would happen as soon as he turned his back.

“What are you two kids doing all by yourselves here?”

He must have been talking about Eren as well. “M-my brother and I are going out with some friends…” Marco hoped that the man would take his word and let him go.

He heard the man scoff. “Where are your friends then?”

“U-up a few floors. My brother j-just needed to get something from the cafeteria, so we split up. Can you pl-please let me go?”

“Hmm… No.” The man suddenly pushed Marco to the wall and looked at him with a lustful look. “As far as I’m concerned, I might as well take a skinny thing like you home. I could use the company.” He braced both arms around Marco and leaned in.

“No! Please!” Marco shoved his face away. “I-I have a boyfriend!!” His forearms were painfully seized and moved away from the man’s face as he put his face inches in front of Marco’s own, showing overly-clean teeth as he grinned.

“Don’t see him, so I don’t ca-” He was suddenly cut off by someone tackling him to the ground. Marco watched as the person who tackled his would-have-been assaulter stood up and swiftly kicked him in the face. It was all happening so fast Marco almost didn’t realize what was going on. As the adult was crumpled on the floor, Marco realized that the person who just saved him was Eren.

-

Eren was halfway down the hall when he turned back to check on Marco. “Are you interested in Latin America at all? I don’t wanna make you bored.” He was answered with silence, and saw no Marco. “Marco?” He looked around, and realized that there was a turn off in the hall that he had just past. He ran back towards that direction and heard Marco. He sounded scared.

“Can you pl-please let me go?”

“Hmm, no.” Eren didn’t recognize the over voice, but it didn’t sound good. He ran a bit faster after he heard something about ‘taking him home’.

“No! Please! I have a boyfriend!” Eren turned to see what was in the break-off hall and saw a man who was about twenty squeezing Marco’s arms, the freckled boy forced against the wall.

Eren immediately saw red and lunged. He wasn’t paying attention to whatever this creep was saying to Marco. As soon as he had the guy knocked down to the floor, he stood back up and delivered a kick to the man’s face. He took a few steps back and watched as the asshole whither on the floor.

“Uh, uhm…” He then turned to look at Marco, who looked completely freaked out.

“Marco, did he do anything to you?” Eren approached him, only to have Marco inch away. “… Marco?” He then noticed a groaning sound from the bastard who was getting up.

“What the fuck was that for you brat?” He stood up and glared at Eren, his face smeared with blood running down his nose, which was broken, giving Eren a bit of satisfaction. “I was just joking around with your brother-”

“Joking around? You must have a pretty sick sense of humor. As far I could tell, you were threatening kidnaping him!”

“Dammit, what the hell is wrong with you?! And another thing, that slut provoked me-”

Eren made a fist and punched him in the face as soon as he heard the word ‘slut’, and watched as he fell back down. “AND I COULD SAY YOUR MOUTH PROVOKED ME!!” He was about to go for him again when he felt Marco grab his hand and pull him away.

Even after they were down the main hall again, Eren could hear the man yell after them, “You better run bitch!!” He almost tore out of Marco’s hold to take care of him. The thing that stopped him was when Marco tripped and fell. 

_No Eren, just focus on helping Marco. He needs all of your attention right now. You promised you’d keep him safe._

Eren leaned down to help him back up, leading Marco to the elevator and pushed the up button. As soon as it opened, Eren urged Marco to go in and immediately closed the door. Before pressing the button for the fifth level, he looked over to Marco, who was facing away from Eren, probably holding that necklace again.

_Poor Marco. This day has been so bad for him._

“D…" Eren stopped before the nickname came out entirely. "... Marco…” The freckled boy flinched at hearing his name and turned to face Eren, still gripping the necklace. “It’s alright Marco. That animal isn’t here, you’re safe.”

After a few shaky breaths, Marco nodded. “Y-yeah… sa-safe… I’m… I’m safe…” He then touched his forehead gently.

“Are you hurt? Did he hit you?”

“It-it’s nothing Eren, I just bumped my head when I fell… He didn’t hit me… I was following you when he pulled my scarf and dragged me around the corner and asked what we were doing by ourselves… can we just forget about this? It’s my fault anyway that all of this just happened…”

Eren couldn’t believe what he just heard. He approached Marco, before carefully holding his face so that he would be looking at him. “No. Don’t say that.”

“H-huh?”

“Don’t say that this is your fault. You were the one who was attacked. You did nothing to provoke him, regardless of what he says. He had the choice of ignoring you, but he chose to attack you instead. Simply because he felt like it.” Then he included, “And don’t apologize, that asshole should be the one apologizing.”

Marco stared at him, completely silent. Eren then noticed his eyes were starting to cringe, as if he was close to crying. Marco nodded after a moment, and shakily replied, “All right…”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Eren reached to rub his back. “Hopefully we won’t see him again. If we do, then we’ll let Mikasa take care of him.”

Marco tried to laugh. “Sure, okay.”

The elevator then opened and Eren held his hand for Marco to hold. “Let’s go.”

Marco looked at the offered hand hesitantly before smiling. “Okay.” He carefully joined his with it and walked out with Eren. “Wow, you’re still warmer than me.”

Eren nodded. The reason why he was warmer than Marco was because of his shifting abilities. Titans have an extremely high body temperature, to a point where it could burn someone via contact every now and then. Even when he was a human, Eren’s body was still warmer than regular people. Not that it would seem suspicious to everyone, but noticeably warmer. Armin had used him several occasion as a blanket. “So much for getting half naked earlier,” he tried to joke. Just then he saw a hand waving wildly. He then saw that it was Armin waving at him, with everyone else next to him.

“Eren, Eren we’re here!!”

“We’re coming, relax, will you?” Eren sighed. He heard Marco giggle, giving him some relief. As soon as they approached the rest of the group, there was a big flash. It was Armin’s phone. Then Eren realized he was still holding hands with Marco. He looked at the boy he was holding hands with and saw that he was turning a light red. Eren on the other hand was feeling the blood drain from his face as he was turning pale.  Armin used his phone camera to take another picture of them together.

“AAAH HA HA HA HA!! YOU FELL FOR IT!!” Armin began doing a small victory dance. “Can’t wait to show these to Connie and Sasha!”

There was NO WAY Eren was going to let Armin send or show any more pictures or videos to anyone, ESPECIALLY Connie and Sasha. If they did get it, the internet was bound to be spammed with the stuff. He stomped up to Armin and snatched his phone. “I’m giving you this one chance Armin.  Either you stop with the media recordings and showing them to people, or I break the main source.” He held the phone to show how he could easily snap it in half. He just really wasn’t in the mood for this.

Mikasa walked over to him and took the phone from him and. “Eren, don’t worry about…” She stopped mid sentence as Bertholdt came closer and looked at his hands, before leaning in to whisper. “… Is that blood?” Eren looked at his right hand and realized that the blood from the bastard was on there. He looked up and saw that Mikasa and Armin were also looking at the blood, the former frowning and giving her ‘tell me who so I can bash his brains in’ look.

_Guess I will be sicking Mikasa on that animal afterall._

Deciding that it would be best to tell them when Marco wasn’t around, he whispered back, “When Marco isn’t around.” He glanced over to the freckled boy, who was being pushed along with Ymir and Krista by Reiner into the exhibit, but still within earshot.

“H-Hold on, shouldn’t we wait for them?” Marco looked over to Eren for a moment as Reiner kept nudging him along.

“Don’t worry, he won’t get dragged of by a security guard. Only happens once a day.”

Ymir rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to take me with you. I just want to find the closest bathroom to shag-” Before the rest got out, Krista pulled Ymir’s ear and pulled her forward into the exhibit. “Ow ow ow ow ow!!”

Eren could hear Krista saying something about ‘not saying anymore’, but after a while, he couldn’t hear any of them. He looked back at Mikasa. “Okay. We were down stairs and some jackass attacked Marco. I took care of it though.”

“What do you mean by attack?” She asked.

“As in ‘forcefully dragging him to a dark alley and trying to touch him up’ attack.”

Mikasa grabbed him by the shoulders and asked, “Did he try anything on you? Are you sure he’s alright?” Now she sounded panicked.

Eren bit his lip. “I’m fine. He got pissed and yelled, but that’s it for me. Marco… He was really freaked out. And…”

Armin leaned in before asking “And?”

“… He said it was his fault. He was also had a panic attack before that…”

“Wait, i-it happened again?” Bertholdt asked in confusion.

Eren frowned and looked at him, alarmed. “It happened earlier?”

“Yeah, in the roman section. We’re not sure what triggered it, but Krista took him out to the hallway to get water…” He looked at Eren with panic, “What happened with you?”

“We went ahead and… I tried to take him to a small space…”

Armin looked increasingly alarmed as he listened about the panic attack Eren witnessed. “Was there anything else about his behavior?”

“After the initial panic attack… he was crying, after I accidentally shouted.” He stopped a moment. “… He also keeps apologizing for stuff and down talking himself. I think he's being emotionally abused.”

Armin stayed quiet as he listened, then gave a sad sigh. “… I think it is safe to say that he’s showing signs of battered person syndrome, which results from being abused, emotionally and  physically.”

“Meaning I was right about him being in trouble...” Eren growled in frustration. “Can’t we call Levi and charge Jean with abuse?”

“I don’t think Levi can do much for him, and even if he could, Marco has to be the one to decide whether or not to charge Jean with anything,” Mikasa said in a regretable tone. “They have been together for three years. If the abuse has been going that long, he must have been scared about coming forward.” She crossed her arms and bit her lip. “… We just need to stick to the original plan.”

Bertholdt pressed his lips together. “… We need to tell the others about this, soon.” He then glanced away, looking at the direction Reiner shepherded the others. “Let’s go catch up with them.”

-

“Hey, I though the Egyptians did the whole mummy thing,” Ymir said in a half-interested tone as they were looking at an Incan mummy.

Marco glanced over to her and replied, “No, other cultures did mummification as well. The success for the different processes varied throughout all of them, the Egyptian’s process success rate was…” When he felt everyone turning their attention to him he stopped. No one would be interested in what he had to say. “Sorry, I’ll keep quiet.”

“No, no, keep going,” Reiner said. “Make her brain work, she needs to keep it from rusting.” That earned a swift but seemingly playful slap to the back of the head from the freckled girl. He merely chuckled, as if he felt nothing. “Don’t bother, Bert’s given me harder ones, on the ass.”

Marco felt his face flush at the intimate remark and turned his face away. He could hardly believe how open Reiner was about him and his boyfriend. Just then, the potential tattoo that Eren had mentioned earlier flashed in his mind. Marco hesitantly turned back to look at Reiner. He was wearing low waist pants, showing hip bones, but Marco couldn’t see any signs of a tattoo from where he was standing, thank god.

Reiner suddenly turned around, alarming Marco, making him think that he was caught looking. “Hey Bert!” He spread his arms open and walked towards the tall brunette that was with Mikasa, Armin and Eren. Bertholdt smiled and went to embrace the blonde. And yelped when Reiner’s hands went for his rear.

“Reiner, not in publc!!” He glanced around, and Marco saw that several people were looking at the couple.

“Okay, we can probably go to the restroom then,” the blond teased and lifted the taller boy so he was carrying him.

_HOW BUFF IS HE?!_

Bertholdt shook his head as he blushed. “No, no. Hugging in public is fine.” As soon as Reiner set him down, Bertholdt smirked and grabbed Reiner’s waist and lifted him up. And almost fell backwards from the sudden weight. “Wh-whoa!!” He nearly bumped into a display case, saved when Reiner braced his arms against the glass.

“Okay, okay, just lower me slowly~” Reiner said in a slightly nervous tone, face inches from the glass. As his boyfriend attempted too, his knees buckled and fell forward, now trapped underneath his hulk of a boyfriend. “Bert!!” Reiner scrambled off and hauled him up

Marco heard Armin and Ymir snicker quietly at the show. It was slightly amusing. He was so focused on the two that he didn’t noticed Eren walking up to him.

“He didn’t show you a tattoo, did he?” Eren asked jokingly, referring to the tattoo that he said was possible.

“Huh? Oh, no, so that’s a good thing that’s happened to me so far…”

Eren nodded, also reliefed. “Okay, great-“ He was suddenly cut of by Ymir who was looking at Reiner’s backside as he was supporting Bertholdt

“Reiner, what’s that on your ass? That black mark?”

Marco and Eren glanced at each other. “… Let’s go. I don’t need to find out.” Eren said to Marco, pleading for mercy. “Please.”

“Yeee-ah, let’s do that.,” Marco moaned out. They immediately turned away. After they managed to get out get out of earshot of Reiner’s answer, Eren let out a reliefed sigh of being spared. ”That was close,” Marco said in an equally relieved tone and let out a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, now I’m just trying to keep the mental image from penetrating my mind,” Eren said as he bumped his fist against his head. “Great, now I have that image from Easter back instead…” Eren muttered as he stopped.

Marco tried to smile for the poor boy. “Just, try to think of non-human things, that should flush the image out.”

“Do mummies count?” Eren then pointed to another Incan mummy.

“Hmm, sure,” Marco hummed. He looked at a recreated scene of a human sacrifice, wax models instead of humans though. Marco reached for his necklace when he saw the painted blood and organs. It look too real for him. He instantly turned away, worried he might throw up.

He looked over to Eren and saw that he was now in the Aztec section. Figuring talking to him would help him relax again, he went to see what Eren was looking at specifically.  As soon as he was right behind him, he saw several pieces of jewelry. His eye was immediately focused on a strange piece that read ‘labret”. Intrigued by it’s shape and name, Marco looked for more information, accidentally bumping into Eren when he realized that Eren was standing in front of the information touch screen, “Oops, I’m sor-”

Eren looked over at him, giving him a deadpan expression. “No. Not this time.” He then turned away before suddenly turning back at him, pointing at an information panel that he was blocking. “Wait, were you trying to see this?”

Marco raised his hands up, “Ah, it’s okay…”

“Look, it’s alright to ask me to move. I’m not going to die simply for moving over a few feet.” Eren stepped aside so Marco could see the information. “Here.”

Marco hesitated before walking up to see the touch screen. “Thank you,” he said quietly. Touching the image of the labret, it immediately popped up a box with text.

_Labrets, also known as lip plugs, were often worn by Aztec warriors and nobility They were often made of precious metals, and their size would increase with the importance of their wearer. Wearing them was so heavily controlled by society that if someone without permission was wearing one, they could be punished with death._

“Labrets, huh?” Marco looked over and saw Eren leaning in slightly. “My dad actually told me a pretty funny story when he was examining someone in the ER. Wanna hear it? It’s kinda gory though…”

“Um, no thanks.” Marco glanced away. “I don’t have a strong stomach when it comes to …” He never really liked hearing stories of medical problems. His mother died from a car accident, when she was coming to pick him up from the library in Jinae… He was five years old. His mom did go to the hospital, but died soon after. He was with her, but the experience of the emergency room at a very young age wasn’t a pleasant one.

“Okay.” Eren replied while nodding.

“Hmm.” Marco moved his head around, looking to see if any of Eren’s friends had caught up. Instead, he saw the man from the first floor again, walking into the exhibit. He instantly grabbed Eren’s hand and moved hoping neither one of them would be seen.

“Wha, Marco?” Eren looked in the opposite direction. “It’s that guy from before-”

“Can we just try to avoid him, please?” Marco pleaded as headed towards a side exit to the hallway, where they were by themselves. He looked back and saw the man walking towards them.

Eren turned around and snarled at him, “Want’s some more of me again?!”

The man’s face immediately darkened as he further approached Eren. “Stay out of my way you little bastard…” Marco started to back further away, trying to pull Eren with him. He then saw Mikasa coming towards them.

“Hey! Get away from them!” She ran in front of the man and blocked him from Eren and Marco.

“Fuck off, bitch, little bastard gave me a bloody nose earlier!”

Mikasa glanced at Eren, then turned back at the man. “Alright.” Before Marco knew what happened, she punched him in the face, like Eren did earlier, but with more force. The man fell backwards, and tried to get up.

“Slut…” He croaked as he tried to stand up, but stumbled around. “I’m… gonna get you…”

Mikasa simply took her backpack and swung it at him, getting his face again, knocking him over a fourth time that day, and leaned down over him. “Slut means ‘the end’ in Swedish”, and with that, she slammed the back of his head with her bag, knocking him out cold.

Marco watched in complete surprise as she simply walked over to an emergency box and lifted a phone before pressing the button for security office. “Hello? Yes, I’d like to report an attempt assault. The assaulter was knocked out by the target on the fifth floor in the hallway that leads to the emergency exit. Male, early twenties, dark hair, broken nose, about 6 feet. Have a nice day sir.” She simply hung up and turned back at the two boys. “We better go before security gets here.” She put her backpack on before grabbing Eren and hauled him over her shoulder like a sac of potatoes, and grabbed Marco’s hand and led them back to the exhibit.

“Hey, Mikasa, put me down! We should at least wait for security!” Eren tried to escape her but wasn’t successful.

“And have you put back in their office and get in trouble for punching him earlier? No. They remember you from earlier, and that guy will say both of us hit him, and I’d rather have just that guy thrown out.” She continued to carry him in the exhibit for a while, earning a few stares and laughs that were returned by Mikasa giving a death stare, making whoever was laughing or staring stop it. Marco merely kept quiet the whole time, figuring it would be best to not protest. especially after seeing her knocking the person out earlier. After several minutes, he finally realized that she was holding him with her right hand, the one with the tattooed wrist. He looked at her wrist and did indeed see a tattoo that was two birds. She suddenly stoped, prompting Marco to look up and saw both siblings had noticed him looking at her wrist.

“OOPS! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to stare!!” He pulled his hand out of her own and embarrassingly backed away.

Mikasa looked back at her wrist and lifted it up for him to it. “This? It’s fine. You should see the one Eren has.” Eren, whose face was out of Mikasa’s sight, chewed his lip, both him and Marco knowing the irony of that one sentence,

Marco nodded, feeling relieved that she wasn’t offended. “Alright… um…” He wanted to talk to her a bit. She was essentially the quietest of the whole group, but since she was Eren’s sister, he felt that he should talk to her.

“I can let you take a closer look if you want,” she offered.

Marco hesitated before nodding and walking back up to her. Now he was able to see that it was two falcons or kestrels, dark feathered. One had its wings spread open while the other one had them concealed against itself, both braced on a branch with small pink flowers, possibly peach blossoms  “… Did it hurt? When you got it.”

“Mmm, yeah. Wrists tend to hurt a lot more than a shoulder or butt when getting a tattoo. Did a bit of research before I got it. But, I think it was worth it.” She lowered her wrist and continued.  “At first I was planning to get a tattoo sleeve, but cost was a bit too much. “

Just then, Armin ran up to her. “Oh, there you guys are. Uh, Ymir said she’s hungry now, so we’re gonna go get lunch. You guys coming?”

That’s right. Lunch. Marco wasn’t sure of that was a good idea for him.

_I think I should just skip it._

As if to argue with him, his stomach let out an unpleasantly loud growl. Everyone else turned at him, having noticed the sounds his stomach was making. “Uh… I still wanna look around a bit more? You guys can go ahead if you want.”

“No,” Mikasa protested. “You better eat something soon. You had a very small breakfast.”

Marco glanced away, not sure what to say to her. He felt that he should do as she said to thank her for keeping him and Eren safe earlier, but he was still worried about his diet. “Uh…”

Mikasa sighed. “Tell you what,” she said as she finally set Eren down. “You both can look around for a few more minutes, but then he calls me so you guys can meet us for lunch at…” She turned to Armin. “Where are we going to eat?”

“Ymir said she wants to eat at a restaurant nearby. Don’t worry, Reiner will be paying again.”

Mikasa stayed silent at his answer, and patted Eren on the back. “I'll call you guys and give you the address. Try not to kill anyone while I’m gone.” She then turned and lifted Armin, who just squawked awkwardly, and carried him away.

Marco watched as Eren straightened his clothes, which were crumpled when Mikasa was carrying him. He then remembered what Mikasa said about the wrist hurting more than the shoulder and snickered a bit. Eren looked at him. “What?”

“Did you get the tattoo after Mikasa got hers? Cuz if you did, you might have been subconsciously aware of the pain scale if you saw her doing the research, chickened and had yours put on the shoulder on purpose~” Marco asked teasingly.

“Did I get it after her, yes. But I honestly had no idea about the pain scale thing… I would have gone for a back tattoo if I was aware of what was happening, I would have asked for a neck tattoo. And that would hurt more than a wrist!!” Marco raised an eyebrow, making Eren add, “I think.”

Marco simply shook his head at him, silly boy. “Okay, I believe you…” They both walked further down to the Mayan section. Eren walked over to a display of artifacts from old temples, leaving Marco at another mummy.  He didn’t really bother reading the information, and found his thoughts wandering back to what Eren told him in the elevator. Eren told him that the incident wasn’t his fault… but it felt like it was. If he felt that way, then it probably was...

_No. Don’t say that._

That statement rang in his head. He raised his hand to touch his face, where Eren had done so earlier as he told him those very words.

_It was… just like what Jean did… when I was upset about how heavy I was… and all those other times._

The time when Marco felt upset about his body wasn’t the only time Jean had cheered him up the same way… he had done the same thing multiple times before and after that one time, mostly whenever Marco felt bad about himself. The last time was… was…

_When was the last time?_

His mind struggled to recall the last time Jean comforted him like so long before… The last time… was three months before he left.  Marco was eleven. He had failed one of his courses at the school they went to, and Marco was feeling horrible. Jean managed to cheer him up though.

_Was it really that long ago?_

Jean would touch him in a way that was similar... it wasn't the same way though, or reasons.

_Well… we were little kids, so… I guess it would make sense that he hasn’t done that since we found each other again…_

… Telling himself that… made him feel a bit sad. He grabbed his necklace, trying to steer his thoughts to something else. He then realized the metal was actually really cold, unpleasantly cold… unlike Eren’s hands, which were very warm… He looked back at Eren, who was reading information about a carving of a noble person performing some kind of ritual. Marco wondered if it was alright wanting to hold his hand again… just to feel that warmth… which was so similar to the giant.

He kept reminding himself that the giant wasn’t real… but, it was nice to feel something similar to him that was real.

_At least for a while._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Mikasa is a badass, and I wanted her to show some of her glory.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took my so long! I ended up writing a really long chapter, and ended up splitting it into two chapters.  
> BTW: I have a tumblr account you can message me at!! http://total-wrecker.tumblr.com/

Eren studied a photo of one of the temples that were on the wall; the info screen saying the temples was one of the most famous observatories of the Mayan culture. He wasn’t sure if that was true or just something the museum put up to grab attention. They would do that stuff once in a while. Not often from what he heard from Armin, but enough times to be occasionally misleading. He glanced over to Marco, who was looking at clothes of the higher class.

_… Battered person syndrome, huh?_

He heard of it the first time about four years ago… two years after his mom died. He was looking into what led to her panic attacks, and learned about the extent of the abuse she was subjected to. He asked Armin to help him to recover the reports of child abuse, which were made when she was thirteen. He saw the word in her psychoanalysis report, describing her conditions, along with ‘potential Stockholm syndrome’.

His phone went off just then. He pulled it out and saw that it was a text from Mikasa.

 

 

Mikasa: Eren, we got a spot in a restaurant nearby. It's about 15 mins away. Ill send you the address

Eren: Okay. We'll be there soon

Mikasa: BTW we saw that guy being dragged off by the police earlier. You won't have to worry about him bothering u guys again.

 

 

Eren felt himself grin at the news of that animal being arrested. Serves him right. The next text from Mikasa popped up with the address of where they were.

 

 

Mikasa: okay, I already ordered you guys some water. I suggest u get here soon, or Ymir will try to spike it

Eren: Dully noted

 

 

He pasted the address into his GPS app and went over to Marco. “Hey, they’re at the restaurant. Mikasa says that we should get ready to go.” Marco didn’t answer him, still reading. Eren waived his hand in front of the boy, which almost went unnoticed.

“Hmm? Oh! Ah, Eren, I’m so sorry! I was zoning out!!”

 _More apologizing._ _What is Jean doing to him?_

“I won’t be able to make you stop with the sorries, will I?” Eren asked in a defeated voice. He probably wasn’t going to get Marco to stop with the apologies, ever.

“A ha ha ha, no. I said it before, habit.” Marco rubbed his nose in embaressment. “Um, what were you saying?”

“They got seats at the restaurant, and Mikasa said that we should be there soon… unless you’re interested in waking up in some alley with a tattoo. Ymir may or may not spike the drinks with something if we don’t get there soon. I learned that the hard way… And before you comment, Reiner was the victim of that spiking.” The mentioned stunt happened last year, and resulted with a strip video that got sent everyone in Reiner’s contact list. Eren grimaced as he recalled the video of him with a strip pole, taking off his cloths, the video stopping just before the underwear came off. Bertholdt ignored him for a whole week. Whether it was out of anger or embarrassment, Eren had no idea.

Marco gritted his teeth as he nodded. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be pretty. We better go.” He looked around for the exit sign, and turned back to Eren. “Care to lead the way?” Eren nodded, then saw Marco was reaching hesitantly to touch his hand. Marco soon saw that Eren noticed, and quickly pulled his arm back to his side. “Uh, sorry…” He looked away ashamed.

Eren looked over at his shoulder as he headed out of the exhibit, making sure Marco was following. He was keeping his eyes away from Eren, looking at his own hand.

_I can’t believe he noticed._

Feeling the temperature difference between his own and another’s hand was certainly not new to Eren. He was surprised Marco noticed in the restroom though. Maybe because he was really cold, and wasn’t being suddenly dragged off with no warning, into a small space… Eren mentally slapped himself for that. He should have been more careful back then.

He led Marco to the elevator, trying to keep his mind straight. He almost pressed the wrong button, stopping when Marco pressed the ground level button. “You were going to press the button for the seventh floor,” Marco said.

“I what?” Eren then saw that his finger was just an inch from the button with the seven painted on. “… Please don’t tell the others I nearly did that,” He begged as he hid his face behind his hand, making Marco giggle.

“Don’t sorry, secrets safe with me.” He then folded his hands together as they stood in the elevator.

Eren realized he was close enough to see the hickey again. This time though, he was able to see more of it. Probably because Marco’s scarf was yanked earlier. He could now see that it was a deep red color… Eren was more familiar with the bright red ones that he would see on Bertholdt occasionally. But… he’s seen ones of the shades Marco had on his neck. Only once, and both him and Reiner had them… and both were limping…

The elevator door opened and Eren watched Marco as he stepped out. Marco waited for Eren to get out, his back towards him. As Eren was getting off, he then noticed red on the back of his neck… but it wasn’t like the hickey. It was more of a bright red, and if he had to describe shades as angry, then this would be the shade. As he approached Marco, he noticed that was a smaller dark spot around the bright red. As he was reentering Marco’s field of the vision, Eren kept his gaze away from his neck.

_Don’t stare, you’ll freak him out._

Marco smiled at Eren when he was standing next to him before speaking to him. “You think we’ll be coming back here?”

“Mmmm… Dunno. Guess it depends if Armin wants to check out another one of the museums…“ The two of them went for the entrance that they came in earlier. “Wait,” He frowned as he and Marco were walking out of the museum, “You don’t have a time crunch, do you?”

“Um, I was planning to get back on the bus by 4:30. I need to get back at my place by 5:30, but I have no idea what the traffic is going to be like, so I figured that an hour would be enough time for the ride.” Marco then blinked in worry. “Wait, does the bus come by 4:30?”

“… I have no idea,” Eren replied. “Armin should though. You can ask him.” Eren quickly checked his GPS to see where they had to go to get to the restaurant. It showed that they had to go down the sidewalk next to the museum until the fifth block then cross the street to the left. He showed Marco the instructions and both of them proceeded down.

-

“ASSHOLE!!” Eren waived his fist furiously at a car that had nearly slammed into him and Marco as they were crossing the street. Marco felt his heart race insanely fast as he watched the car drive off, several surrounding people commenting on how the driver should be given a ticket, or jail time. His hands were clammed around his pendant, trying to get his breath back.

_Holy shit, that was close._

Marco braced himself against the wall, continuing his deep breathing. He suddenly felt something touch his shoulder. “Marco, are you hurt? I didn’t mean to shove you!” He looked over his shoulder and saw Eren looking at him with worry. That’s right, Eren had thrown himself and Marco out of the car’s way, nearly knocking Marco onto the ground.

“I’m fine… I think…” After saying that shakily, he tried to stand up, and completely surprised when he did. “I’m just glad we weren’t turned into pizza on the road…”

“Maybe I could have Armin hack into a street cam so we can report the guy,” Eren said, glancing in the direction the car went. “Let’s go.” He looked over to the direction that they saw on the GPS before heading down, muttering something about ‘letting Mikasa rent a monster truck’. Marco merely shook his head at the boy’s outlandish comment and followed. After several doors, Eren held the door open for the restaurant. “Okay, this is it.”

 “Thank you.” He smiled at Eren and went in. As soon as Eren was in as well, Marco spotted Mikasa and Armin sitting with Krista and Ymir in a booth. “Hey, sorry we took a while.”

“No problem kid, Reiner and Bert have been taking longer in the bathroom,” Ymir said as she leaned back and stuffed her mouth with bread that was being supplied from a bread bowl at the center of the table.

_Kid? I think I prefer Dots._

Pouting at the nickname, Marco sat next to her, Eren being right across from him. He then eyed the glass of water, then picked it up and was about drink out of it.

“AH WAIT NO THAT’S FOR EREN!” He looked over at Ymir.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know…” He apologized and immediatly set the glass back down.

Mikasa leaned over and eyed the glass suspiciously. She then glared at the freckled girl. “You.” She then took Marco’s glass and switched it. “Drink it.”

Ymir laughed. “You’re kidding.” When Mikasa’s glare didn’t let up, she glanced back at the drink.

“Ymir,” Krista smiled dangerously at her girlfriend. “If you didn’t spike the drink, then it should be safe to drink, riiiight?” When Ymir glanced away, the blond girl frowned and pulled her ear. “I thought we talked about this! NO SPIKING DRINKS!!”

“Ah! It’s just some chili extract! And I thought Eren would be sitting there!”

Now everyone at the table except Marco was glaring at her. “… Just chili extract?” Armin said in the driest tone possible. “Do you not recall that when you put some in Bertholdt’s drink, he lost his sense of taste for a whole week?”

She shrugged. “Okay, okay…” She then took it and leaned past Krista to pour it into the plant next to her side of the booth table. “Happy now, people?”

Marco looked at Eren, who was now eyeing his glass suspiciously. Eren looked over at Ymir, “You didn’t spike this one, did you?”

“Nah, just the one I thought you would get. I’ll prove it.” With that, she reached for his glass and placed her straw in it and took a long sip, draining over half of it. “See?”

“I see we need to get more drinks now,” Eren muttered.

Armin offered him a menu as consolation. “They have milkshakes.”

Eren’s eyes widened and he instantly seized the menu. “The milkshakes always work,” he said excitedly. “Can’t go wrong with milkshakes. Especially chocolate ones.”

Marco looked down at the menu that Krista slid over to him. After looking at the food, he spotted the milkshakes that Eren was so enthusiastic about. He couldn’t remember the last time he had one, but he loved them. Especially two recipe that he remembered from of his mom, a cookies-and-cream flavor milkshake and a marshmallow-s’more flavored milkshake. He used to make it for Jean all the time back in Jinae, and a few times since they reunited…

\--

_Marco and Jean had been together for two months now. Marco was making dessert for the both of them, and decided to do milkshakes. Jean was standing in the kitchen next to him as Marco was preparing the blender. When he had the ice cream in, it accidentally turned on, splattering it all over the two boys. Marco managed to turn it off so it would stop making a mess. He looked over at Jean, who had most of his share in his hair. He looked so ridiculous that Marco busted out laughing._

_“Shut up, Marco!” Jean glared at Marco as he continued to laugh. Marco looked at Jean and felt something hit his face, making him stumble back a bit. He instantly stopped laughing. He heard Jean’s breathing and turned to face him. He then saw his hand lowering, as if he just used it. No. That… couldn’t be right… Jean had accidentally knocked him over several times, and sometimes Marco would get a bruised side or sprained-something from the incident, but he would never intentionally hurt him like that…_

_Jean gave him an emotionless face. “Sorry. It was hurting my ears. I told you to stop laughing.” He reached for Marco and stroked his face. “I didn’t know how else to get you to stop.”_

_Marco didn’t respond, not wanting to believe what happened… but… if it did… maybe because he deserved it? He clasped Jean’s hand with his own and gave it a small reassuring squeeze. “… I’m sorry… I’ll try not to do it again.”_

\--

Marco blinked as he came out of his flashback. That incident was after he and Jean were in a relation… but they weren’t serious at that point, and there were no punishments for his behavior… There were incidents that would result in criticism, and there were only two more slapping incidents after the first time… Marco moved his hand to grab the necklace again when he heard Eren speak.

“Oh there you two are… whaaaat happened?”

Marco looked up and saw Bertholdt and Reiner standing next to his side of the booth. Both of who had their hair in total disarray, cloths disheveled, and both sweating a bit. Well, Bertholdt was sweating a bit more than Reiner. “Uhhh… “ Bertholdt barely managed to squeak as he tried to fix his hair, “Nothing much…”

“Your fly says differently,” Ymir responded and pointed to the brunet’s crotch, where his zipper was down, showing red underwear.

Bertholdt looked down and flushed madly. He then looked over to Reiner, frowning. “You said that you zipped them closed!”

“I thought I did!!”

Marco heard almost everyone else groan simultaneously, and Eren hid his face behind the menu muttering, “Forget it, just don’t give us details…”

Bertholdt nodded embarrassed and tried to discretely zip his pants, only for Reiner to beat him to it. Trying to avoid eye contact with everyone, he slowly sat next to Marco while Reiner sat next to Eren. Marco tried to scoot over for Bertholdt, but only managed a few inches without bumping into Ymir. After a moment, Marco held his menu to the humiliated boy. “Uh… here.” Without looking, Bertholdt took the menu and gave him a quiet thanks.

“Hey Bert, can I look at that after you?” Reiner leaned over and pulled the menu down a bit so he could see his boyfriend. Bertholdt simply ignored him and cut off his boyfriend by raising the menu again, still bright red. “… Or you can ignore me. I can live with that…” Reiner said, and had Mikasa slide him another menu instead.

Marco wondered if this happened often. Bertholdt giving Reiner the silent treatment. For Marco, whenever Jean gave him the silent treatment, it was the calm before the storm. By storm, he meant punishment. The severity of the punishment varied, but most of the time it was the kind for multiple minor-rule breaking.

Starting to feel an itch on his neck, he was going to scratch it when he realized the spot was underneath scarf. Meaning he would have to remove the scarf to really get the itch. Shit. He lowered his hand, not wanting to reveal what was beneath. He wouldn’t be able to handle feeling the humiliation.

_It’ll go away soon…_

“Um, Marco…” He looked at Bertholdt, who was nervously looking down at him. “Can you pass me the bread?” He then pointed to the bread bowl that had several pieces left.

“Oh, yeah, lemme just get it…” He reached for it and passed it to Bertholdt. “Here.”

The taller of the two took a few slices from the bowl. “Thank you…” He watched Marco as he was going to set it back in the middle of the table. “… Aren’t you going to have some?”

Marco turned to face Bertholdt again. “N-nah, I can wait.” Just then, his stomach decided once again to speak for itself. Marco instantly froze and felt himself go pale.

“… You had a light breakfast. You should take at least one slice,” Bertholdt said looking concerned.

Before Marco could protest, something came sliding over to him and Bertholdt managed to use his menu to keep it from sliding off the table, making Marco jump in his seat. When Bertholdt removed his menu, Marco saw a plate with some bread. He looked in the direction where it came from and saw Mikasa looking at him. “Eat,” She stated simply.

Recalling her beating up the person back at the museum, he nodded quickly, not wanting to anger her and get hit. He had sessions with Jean where Marco would hesitate to do something and Jean would hit him. He was afraid that would happen with him and Mikasa

He picked the bread off the plate and was about to shove it into his mouth when Bertholdt stopped him. “Whoah! Slow down! She said eat it, not shove it down and choke!!” Marco froze, the bread several inches in his open mouth. Bertholdt guided Marco’s hand to take the bread out, almost like a parent would. “Slowly. And don’t put too much in your mouth.”

“Speaking from food experience or boyfriend experience?” Ymir sneered over to the boys, making both of them blush at the implication. “Seriously though kid,” She said to Marco with a firm expression, “There was one time, around three months ago, he choked on vanilla cake with the chocolate frosting, and he ended up gagging all of it out on me, literally. And I hate vanilla. Especially with saliva.” she let out a small shudder. “And it took me three triees to wash it out.” With that, she gave Bertholdt a small glare.

Bertholdt let out a slightly annoyed sigh and turned to face her, “I told you, I was sorry.” He turned back and looked at his menu again. “Grumpy cat.”

Marco didn’t say anything, and started to nibble on the bread. After he swallowed some, he noticed it tasted a bit different than what he expected, that there was another taste. Not bad, it tasted pretty good… but it tasted unusual. He pulled it back to inspect the slice. When he did, he realized that he tasted the butter as well. Butter… why did it taste so foreign to him? It couldn’t have been that long since he had any… right? He tried to remember the last time he had it with any of his meals… but he was just getting a huge blank.

_Guess it has been._

He hesitantly took another small bite, enjoying the taste of buttered bread. What Jean didn’t know won’t kill him. And it was just a slice. He then saw a waiter walking towards their table, so he stopped eating his bread.

“Hey, is your table ready?”

“Yes, we’re ready,” Armin said gleefully. He gave his order, followed by Mikasa, Krista, Reiner, Eren, and Ymir.

The waiter glanced over to Bertholdt and Marco. “Uh, I would like tea and the lobster soup please,” Bertholdt said quickly, leaving Marco.

Marco instantly blurted out, “Small chocolate milkshake and the Mediterranean salad please.”

The waiter nodded. “Okay, I’ll get the drinks out first,” It was after the water left Marco realized that he asked for a milkshake.

_Shit I wasn’t thinking!! Now you’re going to need to skip dinner._

He kept mentally yelling at himself until he saw Armin pull a bag up to the table. As he was opening the bag, Marco watched as something fluffy and black came out, making a few squeaks. It was followed by another small fluff ball, this one a white-golden color with brown in some places, like a very toasted marshmallow. Marco realized that the black one was a kitten, and the white one was a puppy, that looked like it was some kind of sled dog.

Eren was as dumbfounded by the two baby animals that were starting to wander around the table, looking at everyone for an explanation. There were several other people in the restaurant with animals with them, but none of them on the table. Reiner smiled as the kitten batted at his water. “We found them on our way here. Strays more than likely. Didn’t have the heart to leave them, so we picked them up and took them with us.” The cat looked up at him and suddenly made a crazy dash over to Mikasa’s scarf, accidentally sliding off the table. Mikasa immediately grabbed it before it fell to her lap, and let it claw at her scarf, giving a small smile.

Marco muffled a laugh as the tiny thing lifted its paws up and was trying to flick the scarf off its small claws. He then felt something land next to him. He looked down and saw the dog had jumped down to him and was looking up at him, wagging its tail. “… Uh…” The puppy tilted his head to the side and then crawled into Marco’s lap, plopping his head on the table, facing Marco’s bread. “Hi?”

The puppy rolled its eyes up to him, giving him a pleading look. Marco smiled and tore a piece of his bread off before holding it above the puppy’s head, making it lean back and reach for the bread, licking his fingers when it got the bread, tasting the small amount of butter that was left behind. “Hey, that tickles,” he laughed lightly at the dog and reached for his napkin to wipe off the slobber that was on his hand. The puppy then saw the scarf around Marco’s neck and grabbed it with his mouth, giving it a yank. “Hey, hey, no, cut that out,” Marco ordered as he picked it up and took his scarf out of the small mouth. “Pfft, silly puppy.”

He felt someone tap his shoulder and saw that Bertholdt was looking at the puppy. “Uh… can I try holding him? Her?” Marco nodded, and was about to hand the dog over when it growled at the brunet, baring its tiny teeth. Bertholdt waited a moment before he tried to reach for it but the dog tried to bite him, making a small bark that was followed by growling again and started to squirm.

“Bad dog, you stop that,” Marco gently chided the puppy as it continued to growl and squirm. When that didn’t work, he started to pet it gently, and gave it a scratch behind the ears. The dog stopped trying to escape but continued to growl at Bertholdt. “You be nice to him,” Marco told it as he continued to scratch his ears. It eventually stopped growling, looking over at Marco, like a pouting child. “Let’s try this again,” and held the puppy out to Bertholdt, who tried at first to pet it. The dog allowed it, no growling included, but was still giving him a disapproving look.

_I thought cats did the disapproving people thing, not dogs._

Bertholdt then tried to hold the puppy, which in return it growled. “I think he likes you more,” Bertholdt said in defeat, retreating, eating some of his bread.

“Or it just doesn’t like you…” Ymir said, leaning on her elbow. “… Or it prefers freckled people.” She tried to take the dog from Marco but it really did not like the sudden kidnapping and started to bark insanely at her. “Or not!!” She retreated from the barking monster, knocking Krista over. Marco held the dog back from pouncing on her.

“Hey, that’s enough now,” Marco scolded the dog, making it face him. It instantly stopped, giving him an oh-so-innocent look. “Don’t you act all cute on me,” Marco said disapprovingly. The puppy responded by turning it’s whole body around and snuggling into his neck. Marco gave a small sigh, “All right, I forgive you.” It then proceeded to lick his face. “Pfft, you silly~”

-

Eren watched as Marco giggled at the small dog that was showering him with affection. He noticed that it clearly wasn’t interested in anyone else but Marco, earning a glare from Ymir and a disappointed look from Bertholdt. When Marco turned his head to apologize to both of them, the puppy pulled away from the freckled face and looked over to Eren. Eren frowned as he saw the dog’s eyes narrow, and the corners of the mouth perking upward.

_Is… is that thing smirking at me?!_

As if to answer the question, the mutt stuck out its small tongue at him, then returned its focus on Marco, wagging its tail. His mouth fell open at it feigning innocence, leaving Marco oblivious to what it did. “That little…” Eren snarled quietly and gritted his teeth. He then felt something looming over him. Looking up, he saw Reiner smiling down at him. Eren turned and saw Armin smiling as well. He glanced back and forth between the two, before asking, “What?”

Reiner leaned in. “If you ask us~” He quietly hummed into Eren’s ear.

“It seem’s like~” Armin continued for him, leaning in.

They both looked at each other, nodding before leaning in further, cupping their mouths as they whispered to him, “You. Are. Jeaaaaloouss~”

Eren flushed red when he heard that. “WHA, NO!!” He blurted out loud, loud enough to grab everyone’s attention, including Marco’s. When Marco looked over at Eren, the puppy whined, placing his paw on Marco’s face and resuming licking, capturing his attention again, making him giggle again. “Attention brat,” Eren muttered as he glared at the mutt. He then felt something being placed on his head. He reached up to feel fluff. He saw that Mikasa was pulling her arm back from him and Armin. Eren then pulled whatever was on his head off, and was holding the kitten, who just squeaked at him. “… I thought these things meowed.”

“Apparently, that is a lie,” Mikasa said as she watched the small creature bat his nose. He lowered it so that it was lying on it’s back in his lap. It looked up at him, before making more high pitched noises. Amused, he ran his finger over it’s belly, which he noticed was small, smaller than it should be for something it’s size. Poor thing was probably underweight.

Just then, the waiter came back with the drinks. “Please make sure that your pets stay at the table. We had an incident where there were two dog… never mind, you don’t need to hear the full story,” the waiter said as he set the drinks down. He smiled at the dog before leaving again.

Eren pulled his milkshake closer, then looked down at the tiny ball of fluff on him. He dipped his spoon into the drink and took a fair amount out. He then lifted the cat back onto the table, and held the spoon out for it. It took a few sniffs before proceeding to eat it. Within five seconds the cat’s portion was gone, and Eren had a pretty big spoon. The kitten looked back at Eren, giving him a needy squeak. He sighed before taking his empty bread plate and placing some of the milkshake on there. He pushed it towards the kitten, which took wobbly steps towards it. As soon as it was at the plate, it started to devour whatever was on it, and accidentally smeared some on it’s face. Eren couldn’t help but smile at it.

He then heard the mutt whining. He looked back at Marco, who was holding the dog from the milkshake. “Hey, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to eat chocolate, you’ll get sick,” Marco said sadly. The dog whimpered in response. He was probably hungry as well. Eren looked at his milkshake. It was vanilla. He knew that dogs could eat vanilla. He looked back at the dog as it squirmed again, really agitated.

He reached for a spare plate and spooned more of his milkshake on it, before pushing it towards Marco. “Here, dogs can eat vanilla.” Marco looked down at the offered plate, and set the mutt down. The dog instantly scrambled for it, sliding and almost bumping into the cat, which was still distracted with its meal so it didn’t notice. The dog was practically inhaling the stuff. “Wow, it was really hungry…” Eren said as the dog continued to eat.

“Can’t blame him for being a bit grumpy,” Marco said as he stroked its fur. He then smiled up at Eren. “Wanna feel him?”

“Uhh, with the risk of being attacked like those two?” Eren pointed at Ymir and Bertholdt, both of which were shaking their heads no, much to Marco’s oblivion. “No, not now.”

Marco nodded, and looked back at his milkshake, a small grimace forming on his face. “What was I thinking,” he muttered quietly as he stared at the glass.

Eren looked at the glass and then at a spare glass that was from the water. He grabbed it and looked back at Marco, “If you need help finishing it, I can help. I think these two are going to take care of my shake,” he added that last part while looking at the kitten who was almost done with it’s portion, again.

Marco looked up at Eren again and back at his shake. “Oh, y-yeah, that would be great! Take as much as you want.” He pushed the glass towards him.

Eren spooned out some of the chocolate shake into his glass, and ended up taking a third of Marco’s portion. Just when he was putting the last bit in his glass, the kitten was beginning more of the needy squeaking. “Alright, gimme a sec,” Eren said as he was making sure that no chocolate was left on the spoon before he gave the cat more of the vanilla. As soon as he was getting the last bit for it, the dog came right for his spoon, clamping its teeth down on it. “Hey, hey let go!” He tried to pull his spoon back, but the puppy tightened his teeth even more, letting out a growl and glared at him.

“Hey, you cut that out,” Marco said and leaned forward to get the mutt to let go of the spoon. Unsurprisingly, it cooperated with him by releasing the spoon, turning to nuzzle Marco’s hand. “Honestly…” Marco said as he smiled at the beast.

“Hmm, yeah,” Eren muttered as he glared at the thing and put the spoon with dog slobber aside. He still gave it some more milkshake on the plate so it wouldn’t go for the kitten’s portion, using a different spoon. “For a stray, he sure is a jerk…”

“I dunno…” Marco looked down at the creature, giving a sad face. “Dogs tend to attack strangers if not socialized correctly, and needs to start at a very young age. I think he’s… two months old… give or take. Wonder what happened to his mom.” As though it was sensing Marco’s sadness, the dog turned back to him and jumped off the table and onto his lap, reaching up just before it buried its fluffy face into the freckled neck and gave a few licks. Marco tried to smile, and set the dog back down on his lap and brought its plate closer to his side, where it resumed eating, much slower and kept looking back at Marco to check on him.

_Fine, not as much as a jerk as I thought. Has to be better than Jean._

Eren pulled his portion of the chocolate shake closer and took a sip. He nearly hummed when he tasted the cold sweetness. He glanced over to Marco and saw that he was prodding at his own glass, still hesitating to have any. Marco looked up and saw that Eren was watching him. Eren raised an eyebrow and said “It’s not going to kill you. Plus it’s gonna melt,” and in response, Marco slowly opened his straw and stuck it in. He stared at it after that, nervous, as if he was about to do something wrong.

The café yesterday, breakfast this morning, and now lunch this afternoon… It seemed like dieting. And it was not the cutting back from just sugar and butter, or switching to healthier alternatives kind of diet. It was leaning closer to the crash kind of a diet. Eren frowned slightly, wondering if Jean was responsible for this thing as well.

_He probably is._

Figuring he needed to encourage Marco, Eren leaned forward and nudged it forward. “C’mon. You deserve it.”

Marco blinked in disbelief before looking back at Eren and giving him a small, but appreciative smile. “Fine,” he said and took a small sip. “W-wow, that’s really cold,” he said when he moved his mouth from the straw, giving a small laugh, and a bit of the melted shake on his chine, which the dog who was watching tried to lick off.

“I ship it…” confused by the whispering, Eren glanced over to Armin, who was smiling as he raised his Frappuccino to his face. “Him and the dog.”

Eren turned to face him and glared, figuring ‘ship’ referred to supporting a relationship. “Really. Cuz you were trying to set us up yesterday.”

Armin took a sip before turning back at him and whispered, “Who says I can’t multiship?”

“What the hell do you mean by ship anyway?”

“You don’t wanna know,” Armin suddenly leaned in, his eyes wide. “Run. Run and never get involved.” With that, he leaned back and continued with his drink. A bit freaked by what happened, Eren tried to take a gulp from the shake he received from Marco. He instantly got a brain freeze. He may had a higher body temperature, but it never helped when he had too much of something cold. He bit the inside of his mouth and set his glass down, and started to rub his forehead, hoping to warm it up.

“Ahhh…” He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, he saw the dog smirking at him again. As soon it saw that Eren noticed, it stopped and resumed eating. “Much better,” Eren said. He then saw the cat had finished, and fell asleep. Desperate for help, he placed the cat on his head to warm up, but was thoughtful enough to make sure it didn’t wake up. He laid it so that the front paws were touching his eyebrows. After the brain freeze ended, he heard the entire table giggling. He looked around and saw that everyone had noticed, including Marco. He was about to take the cat off when it moved around and adjusted itself, letting out a yawn before curling up.

“Well, someone’s comfortable,” Ymir said as she shoveled another bread slice into her mouth. Her head rolled around before resting on the smaller girl, who pushed her off. “And someone else isn’t,” She confirmed and poked the Krista on the cheek. “Want some of my root beer?”

“No, I got my lemonade.” Krista said politely. She grabbed Ymir’s arm and draped it over her shoulder. “I would like some body heat though~”, she requested and nuzzled up against her. “It was a little too cold for me.”

“Mmm, okay,” Ymir said as she kissed the top of her head. “Lemme warm that ice cold body of yours.” Krista jabbed her cheek, making the taller girl chuckle. “Benefits of body fat. And muscle.”

 Eren was letting his eyes wander around, trying to keep his head still so the cat wouldn’t slip off. He found himself looking at Marco again, and noticed his expression. It was the same face he was making when he was looking at Reiner and Bertholdt when they finished breakfast. His eyebrows were slighty frowning. Not to suggest he was mad at them directly. It seemed like… Marco was envious, but also curious. Eren was confused at first.

_Wait… does it have anything to do with his relationship?_

He remembered that he heard that negligence of emotional affection, or withholding affection, is a form of emotional abuse. Eren had figured out that emotional abuse was definitely happening to Marco, but he wasn’t sure what was happening, or how many forms. But… Eren knew affection withholding was very bad. It was one of the forms of abuse he read in his mother’s child abuse case.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt something sharp cling to his ear. “OW!!” He reached to grab whatever was pulling his ear, and felt fluff. The cat must have been sliding off his head, thus latching onto whatever it could get. Which was his ear. And the cat was using it's teeth and claws at the same time.

Everyone turned to him when they heard him yelp, and saw that he was trying to get the cat off. “Whoa, whoa, be careful!” Reiner tried to help him get the cat off, but instead the tiny creature tightened it's bite on the ear, clearly scared of him.

“I’m trying!!” Eren tried to lift the cat off, but that didn’t work. He then felt someone reach over and nudge the cat’s tiny mouth. The cat turned its attention to the finger, starting to nibble it and used its paws to grab the hand. Eren then felt another hand brushing against the one he was using to hold it up.

“Wow, I guess it couldn’t stay on, huh?” Eren saw Marco pulling the cat close to him while the dog was watching in disapproval. He then looked up at Armin. “Hey, did you find these two together?”

“No. The cat first, it was in one of those boxes that people abandon extra kittens in. The dog, we found in the alley around the corner, trying to sneak into the kitchen. He was aggressive with people, but fine with the cat… then again, the cat wasn’t taking attention away from his favorite human.”

“Ha ha ha, cute.” He then set the cat down on his lap and out of Eren’s sight. The dog leaned down, probably to sniff at it. Marco smiled at both of them. “Are you thinking of taking them with you guys?”

Armin chewed his lower lip. “I’m not sure the hotel where we’re staying will let pets in the rooms. We could keep them at home, but we’re staying for a while.” His eyes then lit up. “But, if you could hang on to both of them for a while, then we could-”

Marco instantly froze. “… I-I n-no. I mean…”

“The place you live doesn’t allow pets?”

“No,” Marco shook his head, “It does, but…”

“Don’t like pets?” Upon hearing that from Armin, the dog looked at the short blond and back at Marco with worry, whimpering.

“… No, I’m okay with them… It’s just…” He sighed before going on, “… My boyfriend doesn’t like them. Or the mess… and I’m not sure I’ll be able to clean all of it up before he gets back.”

_Of course. Jean._

Eren watched as the dog was pleadingly worming its way to lick Marco’s face, in an attempt to persuade him to take it home. “Is he allergic?” Part of him prayed that the answer would be yes.

“… No, he just doesn’t like the maintenance…” Marco was then cooingly saying “No, no, no, no,” and Eren saw that the kitten was trying to climb his shirt, around the dog.

“Well, Eren could help you with cleaning up after them if they get to be to much. Just let us know,” Armin offered. Before Eren could process what he said, Armin continued, “I think you’re the only one the dog likes anyway.”

Marco bit his lower lip, and looked at his furry companions. “… Well…” He looked at Eren, nervous. After a moment of silence, he looked back at nodded. “Okay. But I’ll need to grab stuff from a pet store for these two.”

Mikasa interjected quickly. “Eren can help you with that.” When Eren remained silent, she made one more comment. “… Unless he’s too tired-”

Eren immediately snapped, “I AM NOT! I CAN HELP DOTS!!” It wasn’t the volume that made Eren shut up then, it was that he said ‘Dots’… Again. He tried to close it, but it kept opening up, kind of like a fish. Marco merely shook his head in an amused fashion before leaning forward to have some of his milkshake, and the dog once again smirking at him.

After a few minutes, Ymir raised her hands. “Yeesss, foooo-dah~” Everyone looked in the direction she was looking and saw the waiter coming with the food.

“Yes, indeed,” The waiter chuckled before he laid the food out for everyone. Eren watched as he got his burger, Reiner a set of ribs, Ymir had ordered so much food that Eren wasn’t sure what she had or didn’t have, Krista and Bertholdt got soup, Mikasa got salmon with onions, and Armin and Marco got a salad. “Let me know if you guys need anything else,” He said and smiled at the cat before leaving, which Marco was cradling.

“Hey Bert,” Reiner held some fries out to the taller boy, “Want some?”

The taller boyfriend nodded, and took them and placed them on his soup plate. “Th-thanks Reiner.”

Eren glanced back at Marco, to check him. He was glancing at the two boyfriends, but he was just confused now. The dog tried to eat some of Marco’s salad, which had some shrimp, but Marco caught him. “Nice try,” He told the mutt as he moved him away from the salad, setting both it and the cat down besides him. Taking pity, Marco picked out some shrimp before cutting it up to smaller pieces and putting them on the plates that the two animals were eating the milkshake out of earlier. Marco set one down on the floor, and lifted the kitten to the top of the table. Marco was grabbing his fork when he looked down again. “Just for now,” He told what Eren assumed was the dog.

“… He really does like you,” Eren said as he forked some of his side food that came with the burger.

Marco shrugged. “I guess…” He watched the ball of fluff on the table chewed on a bit of shrimp. “How’s your ear?”

Eren touched it, feeling that the tiny punctures that the cat left were already gone. “It’s good. Glad it was the cat instead of the dog.”

“Aw c’mon, little guy’s not that mean,” Marco put some of his salad in his mouth after he said that.

“Too you. You’re the only one it seems to like,” Eren rebuffed. He then felt something biting his shoe. “OW!!” Eren looked down under the table and saw the dog had clamped its mouth on the very tip of Eren’s shoe gleefully, and was starting to pull it off his foot. “May I present you evidence?” He grabbed Armin’s phone, which was sitting on the table, opened the camera app, and took a picture. Upon the sound of the shutter, the dog froze and made eye contact with Eren, showing horror in its eyes. “Buussted,” He whispered to the mutt and showed Marco the photo he took.

Marco seemed surprised and leaned down to see the dog. “What’s going on, buddy? Hmm?” Eren looked down and saw the dog was looking at what was probably Marco, tucked his tail and whimpered.

_Ha ha, stupid dog._

He heard Marco give a disappointed sigh. “Don’t do it again, okay?” Eren watched as Marco’s was coming back up, but instead of seeing his head, he heard a loud ‘thump’, making the table shake a bit, making the kitten stumble into Bertholdt’s lap.

“Are you okay?” Eren bended down to see Marco, who had apparently bumped his head against the bottom of the table.

“I’m-I’m fine, just really clumsy,” Marco chuckled nervously as he rose back up.

Eren copied his motions, “You sure that you’re okay?”

“Y-yeah, totally,” Marco said smiling at him.

Choosing to drop the subject, Eren continued with eating. He looked up at Marco a few more times, who was talking to Bertholdt about the cat as he ate his salad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to decide on the dog's gender, so if you have a preference, lemme know, okay?  
> -  
> Update: I have fallen victim to halloween, and decided to make the cat black.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter has an abuse flashback! Proceed with caution!!

Marco was halfway done with his salad and was eating some more of the bread he was having earlier when he heard Ymir moaning painfully, and saw that all of her plates had been eaten clean.

“AAAHHHHGGGGG, I’M GOING TO EXPLODE…” Ymir groaned as she leaned back and let out a belch that made Bertholdt jump in his seat.

Krista frowned at her girlfriend, “I told you that it was a bad idea ordering three plates of french fries with a burger, a cheeseburger with bacon, and …” She looked at everyone else at the table, “What else did she order?

“Onion rings, four plates,” Reiner said, giving Ymir an ‘I-knew-it’ look.

“And mozzarella sticks,” Mikasa added with some crab cake in her mouth.

“Yes, I get it people,” Ymir growled as patted her stomach, “I’m stupid.” Another burp came from her, followed by more groaning.

The waiter came back to their table. “Do you guys need anything else?”

Ymir’s eyes immediately widened. “Dessert.”

Bertholdt, Marco, and Armin stared at her. “… Uh, you just said you were going to explode,” Marco asked confused.

“If I die, I want it to be after I have dessert,” Ymir defensively stated, earning a smack on the back of her head from Krista. “Nevermind.”

“I think we’re good,” Armin said to the waiter, “Just need the bill now.” The waiter nodded and left. Armin then turned to Reiner. “You’re paying, okay?”

“No.”

“You’re the one who’s loaded though!”

“I paid for breakfast already!”

Armin pouted. “Rock paper scissors?”

“Fine,” Reiner nodded. Both blondes put their hands in front of Eren, who flashed a ‘god save me’ look, which almost made Marco laugh. After shaking their fists in unison three times, they made their signs… Reiner a rock and Armin a paper. “… Two out of three.” The next round ended with Reiner with scissors and Armin had Rock.

“Pay up,” Armin smirked at the gigantic blond, who hung his head and sobbed.

Taking pity, Marco was pulling out his wallet, “I can pay instea-”

As soon as he was going to offer, Armin and Reiner instantly turned to him and said “No!” He instantly froze, surprised.

“You were our guest today Marco,” Armin said calmly, “So everything is on us… or,” He suddenly smirked, “On Reiner.”

Marco stayed quiet, putting his wallet away. He nodded in agreement. He felt like he was burdening everyone. He hadn’t done anything to earn their kindness, and barely knew them, which was slightly alarming. He glanced over to Eren, who gave him a nod.

_… Why do I feel so comfortable around him?_

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Bertholdt talking. “Please, please let go… please kitty?” He turned and saw that the kitten had its claws in the cardigan that Bertholdt was wearing, heading up to his neck. “Hey, no…” The cat continued to climb to his shirt collar, which was unbuttoned by three buttons. When it got there, it tried to crawl under the clothing. “A ha ha!! Tickles…” He froze as it went completely under, and looked Marco. “… Help…”

Marco slowly reached for the taller boy’s neck, and had to lift the collar’s flaps to see the cat next to his shoulder… and saw several red hickeys. Trying to avoid staring at them, he tapped the cat, and felt its mouth clamp down, followed by its claws. “I think it likes the way I taste,” Marco tried to joke as he slid his other hand in to pull it out. In the process, he accidentally hit one of the darker marks on the taller boy’s body, making him wince. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to….” Realizing that he was about say ‘hit that bruise’, he stopped talking, not wanting to embarrass either one of them. Bertholdt nodded, acknowledging his thoughtfulness. Marco finally managed to pull the cat completely out. “Sheesh, you’re a silly kitty, you know?” Marco said to the cat as it kept biting his finger. He looked back at Bertholdt, holding the cat back out to him.

“Uh… no thanks. I held it long enough. It’s cute and all, but, I don’t wanna become a carpet,” He then motioned to his outfit, with cat hair standing out all over it.

“Okay.” Marco put the cat down, allowing it to curl up against his belly.

_I better buy one of those hair remover things._

Marco then felt something rubbing against his leg. He looked down and saw the dog looking at him, putting his paw on the plate Marco had put down for him, which had been eaten clean. “Alright, gimme a sec,” Marco said to the dog. He picked up the plate and placed some cut up shrimp on it. As he was setting back down, he felt the dog rub against his hand, giving his arm a few licks. Marco smiled at it, scratching the back of its ear. The puppy reminded him a bit of Eren… the grumpiness, and constantly getting in gripes with people… he wondered if Eren would be offended by his thoughts…

Sitting back up, he leaned forward to take a sip of his milkshake, a very small one. He was happy that Eren volunteered to help him finish the whole thing, but it was still a lot… but Eren insisted that he deserved it, and Marco didn’t want to seem rude to him, especially since he had been so helpful to him today… when he had his breakdown, and when he was attacked… he felt responsible for all of it, and even more confused on how someone could put up with so much without loosing it or taking it out on him.

Suddenly, heard Eren start to cough violently, Reiner patting his back. Marco stood up in alarm. “What happened?!”

“Some of his food went down the wrong way, don’t worry, he won’t die,” Reiner said as he continued to assist Eren. Eren reached for a napkin to put over his mouth, then after a few more coughs, he finally stopped. “You good now, Eren?”

Eren nodded and removed the napkin from his face. “Y-yeah, totally great…” There was a few small after-coughs, but nothing came out of his mouth. He folded the napkin up and placed it to his plate, which was more than halfway done.

Marco watched as Eren made a fist to beat his chest to help.  Armin leaned over to the brunette, pulling the water pitcher that the waiter gave them earlier, “Do you need some water?”

“Y-yeah, thanks… I’m gonna wait a while before I keep eating… no at least I didn’t puke or anything like that…”

\--

_Marco tried to pull his wrist out of the strap Jean had put it in that kept him in the chair. He was in the basement again. Marco had a cold for the past week, and he thought it finally was letting up. When he and Jean were having dinner together, the aftermath of whatever he had decided to make him vomit right there, at the dinner table. Jean put Marco down there, telling him to wait until he was done cleaning the mess. He tasted the bile in his mouth, worrying what the punishment will be this time. Marco glanced over to the cage, which was a few feet away, dreading Jean would leave him down here to starve again. He tried to pull out of the confines again, and heard the basement door open. Marco watched as Jean reappeared at the bottom of the stair. “I’m sorry,” Marco began to whimper when Jean made eye contact with him, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”_

_Jean walked over and slapped him, making Marco go quiet. “I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry!” He seized Marco’s throat, putting himself on top of Marco. “You dumb bitch!” As the squeezing tightened, Marco heard less and less of what Jean was yelling at him. Eventually, he was out completely unconscious._

_When he woke back up, he was naked lying on his back, still in the basement… and his mouth no longer tasted like bile. Jean must have cleaned it when he was unconscious. He tried to move his hands again… and realized that they were tied above his head, on opposite ends of whatever he was on… more than likely the rack._

_He then felt something on top of him. Looking to see what it was, he saw Jean, frowning at him. Marco immediately tensed, which Jean noticed. “Marco, if you hadn’t made a huge mess, you wouldn’t be in this situation,” Jean said in a harsh voice, tracing one hand over Marco’s leg, both of them tied so that the knees were bent, giving Jean access to his member and keeping Marco from kicking out or escaping. He then tilted his head, moving his hand which was holding something that Marco wasn’t sure what exactly, downward Marco’s body, “… Since you didn’t finish your dinner… I’m going to keep you here until I think you’re ready for dessert.”_

_Marco was confused at the statement, flinching when he suddenly felt something cold pressing against his private parts. “AH!!” He wailed, trying to get away from the coldness - what it was exactly, Marco wasn’t sure. Getting away proved impossible. He then felt whatever it was entering him, surprising him by how easily it went in. He then realized that he was already hurting inside. Marco could only think of one explanation. “… J-Jean… wh-when I was out… d-did… did y-you… take me?”_

_“What if I did?”_

_That answered his question. Jean had taken him several times when he was asleep before, making Marco wonder why he asked. He bit his lower lip as he felt the invading coldness go further in, reaching his prostate. Oh god, it felt awful. Why did he have to get sick? Feeling whatever was in him stay where it was, Marco felt a bit of relief that it wasn’t moving. That relief proved to be short lived when Jean seized his hair with one hand._

_“Open your mouth Marco,” Jean demanded in a threatening tone. Marco did as he was told. Jean then pulled his head up so it was slightly raised, just before moving closer. Marco then felt Jean force his half-erect dick next to his mouth. “Lick it.” When Marco hesitated, Jean grabbed Marco’s throat with his free hand, making it hard for the freckled boy to breathe. “Do I need to punish you for something else now?" Shaking his head as much as he could, Marco used his tongue to press against Jean’s head. “Much better.” Jean released his throat, allowing air back in._

_Marco felt precum already falling on his tongue. While trying to hold himself up, he swept his tongue over Jean’s slit, hoping that he would like it. He never could tell what will and won’t make Jean happy when he was like this. He heard a faint moan from above, and that was usually a good sign. “Oh, shit… at least I don’t need to worry about this part,” Jean huffed as he started to thrust in and out of his mouth. Marco opened his mouth a bit more to accommodate the new intrusion. Feeling Jean harden, he prayed that all of this would be over soon. Surprisingly, he felt Jean pull out. Marco watched as Jean reached back to whatever he had inserted into Marco, tensing when he felt movement down there again._

_“Ah-AHH! AAHHH!!” Realizing that he was making too much noise, Marco bit down on his lip to make himself quiet, hoping Jean wasn’t upset with the noise that just escaped. He curled his toes, as it was really the only kind of movement he could make that wouldn’t cause trouble. He then realized that the thing moving inside was moving with more ease now, and didn’t feel the same size as earlier. He suddenly felt Jean slow down, completely stopping._

_Marco looked at Jean, who merely looked back at him. “… If you do this next part, I’ll let you come back upstairs, and your punishment will be done.” He leaned closer to him so that he was barely inches from his face. “If you don’t, you’ll stay here until morning. With one of the toys in you.”_

_“I’ll do it, whatever it is,” Marco immediately started agreeing to the unheard terms, “Please, I’ll do anything.”_

_Jean had left him in the basement overnight with one of his ‘toys’, which was a vibrator, before. He had duck taped Marco’s mouth shut to keep him from crying out, leaving him stuck on the rack. It was too big for Marco. He ended up bleeding from inside, which was slow but lasted for hours. The lube, or spit rather, that Marco was lucky enough to get quickly dried up, making the experience worse. He passed out eventually, waking up when Jean came to get him. The pain he was having afterwards was enough to prevent him from walking. He was stuck inside for a whole week because of that._

_Jean smirked at him a moment after hearing Marco’s agreement. “Hmm. Good.”_

_Marco bit down on his lower lip as he felt the coldness inside suddenly move again, just before being pulled out. He gasped at the sudden emptiness, glad that what was inside was finally out. He then saw Jean raise the hand that was at his entrance for Marco to see. Marco saw him holding dripping, white, popsicle, which looked like the ice cream snack Marco bought just a few weeks ago, except it had melted. Jean brought it down to Marco’s chest, laying it down, the chill confirming that it was the thing that was inside just moments ago._

_Marco watched as Jean moved his hand to his own dick, starting to jack himself off. After a few moments, Marco felt something other than the ice cream land on him. As soon as Jean finished with his member, he picked the popsicle off of Marco, holding it to the freckled face. Marco saw that now there was semen on the melting snack. “Eat all of it Marco,” Jean ordered._

_Knowing that there was no way for Marco to say no now, he opened his mouth and Jean pushed the ice cream in. Marco pressed his lips together, feeling that the ice cream had thawed enough to eat from the main part without biting down. He tasted the mixture of vanilla and Jean’s seed and felt the melted form of the ice cream go down his throat. Swallowing the bit he had in his mouth, he continued eating the melting ice cream, repeatingly looking back at Jean, who watched with growing amusement._

_Eventually, the only thing left in Jean’s hand was the wooden stick that the ice cream was on. “… Any… Anything else? I… don’t want to leave things unfinished…” Marco forced himself to say that, hoping Jean would be appeased now._

_Jean hummed, setting the stick he was holding down, “Not now, but maybe in bed later on…” He stroked Marco’s face lovingly, making Marco lean into his hand, desperate for the kindness. “Now, let’s get you some medicine, and take care of that cold for good.” He then undid the bindings on Marco’s legs, which left red bruises in their places. “Oh, but let’s keep the clothes off until bed.”_

\--

Marco, who was in mid chew of some of his salad, suddenly felt some of it go down his windpipe. He was so lost in the memory that he swallowed his food wrong. He seized his napkin and put it to his face before the coughing started. It was practically an instinctive reaction; Ever since that incident of vomiting at the table, Marco had been making sure never to vomit or cough food onto the table again.

He felt Bertholdt pull the cat off him as Marco continued to clear his throat. “Marco, do you need water?!” Marco was going to shake his head when his coughing fit got worse. He moved his napkin away when he felt that most of the food was out.

Using his hand to cover his mouth as he continued coughing, he saw Ymir handing him a glass of water. “Drink it kid, it’ll help.”

Desperate for the coughing to stop, he took it and drank some. The first two gulps had no problem going down, but during the third one, he had one more cough come up, resulting with the water going everywhere. Horrified by what happened, he looked up and saw that some of the water had landed on Eren’s face. Fearing that he made him mad, he turned to Bertholdt and said, “Please let me out.” Bertholdt slipped out of the booth, and Marco instantly ran to the restrooms, needing no directions since he saw the signs.

As soon as he got to them and found the family/private one was empty, he went in and closed the door. As soon as he heard the door making the click signifying that it was completely closed closed, he took a few steps back until he hit the wall behind him, slid, taking deep breaths, reflecting on what he just did. “Oh… oh god… I’m-I’m so dumb… h-he’s probably mad now… I’ve already gave Eren a hard time already, I-I-I should have been m-more careful…” He felt his breathing starting to become irregular.

_No, no not again. Please not again…_

Putting his hand on his forehead, he tried to take deep breaths, but it wasn’t working. He dug his fingernails of the hand on his forehead into the skin beneath. “Wh-what’s wrong with me?!” Marco pulled his knees to his chest and moved his hand off his forehead to grab his necklace, feeling tears coming to his eyes again. “N-no Marco, don’t cry over this, don’t cry over this… don’t…” It was too late, he felt a few tears start to go down his face. “… Damn it, damn it!!” Burying his face further into his knees, he continued to mutter to himself, “I’m so dumb… I’m pathetic…”

After a few minutes, he heard something creak, but didn’t pay much mind to it. Then, he felt something soft nudge at his arms, trying to get to his face. “Wh-wha?” Bring his head up, he looked at his side and saw that the puppy was right by his side, looking at him with what could be considered worry, whimpering. Seeing Marco’s face, it tried to jump up on his lap, pawing at his arms to let him in. “H-how did you…” He looked back at the door and saw that there was a small doggy door there.

He looked back at the dog, which pawed his arm with concern, letting out a small whine. Wiggling a bit, it took a few steps back before jumping onto the freckled boy. As soon as it landed on his lap, it turned its attention to Marco’s face. With one look, it pushed itself closer to his face, licking where tears ran down. “W-wait…” Marco tried to push it away. As soon as he did, the dog tried to climb back to him, rubbing itself against Marco… refusing to leave him.

Just like what Eren did in the museum after his breakdown.

“… Ha ha…” Marco lowered his head, upon realizing another similarity between him and the dog. His let his arms fall to his sides. “… You both insist on wasting time on me…” he gave another sob, prompting the dog to return to licking his face, trying to cheer him up. Realizing that the dog wouldn’t stop trying to cheer him up, Marco raised his hands to pick up the dog and held him close. Realizing he might be holding him to hard, he pulled the dog away. “I’m sorry…” The puppy responded by going back to the spot where Marco just held it.

Marco slowly brought his hand back up to hold the dog in an embrace.

“Sweet boy… I really wish I could keep you…” He let a few more sobs escape.

_But I can’t._

-

Eren wiped his face with a clean napkin, drying it off from the water Marco accidentally coughed onto him. Eren looked at the direction Marco went. “I think I should check on him.” Getting ready to crawl over Reiner, he saw the mutt taking off, going after the boy that it was attached to.

He looked over at Armin and Mikasa, both of them looking at him. Armin grabbed his shoulder. “I think it’s got it… the dog. He or she a lot like you, and you helped Marco earlier, so I think the dog can help him…”

Eren sighed, “Okay… But don’t compare me to the mutt…”

Armin shook his head. “Anyway,” He looked at everyone at the table, “I hate to take advantage of the moment… but we need to talk about Marco.” As soon as everyone at the table, except the cat, which was starting to fall asleep on the spot where Bertholdt set it down. “I think that from what we observed from him, it’s reasonable to conclude he has -“

“Battered person syndrome?”

Armin looked over at Krista, who finished the statement for him. “… Yes. I’m guessing you came to that conclusion earlier as well.”

“It popped into my mind after I took him to get some water, he told me that he was hopeless… and that he was sorry for bothering us….” She prodded at her plate before continuing. “He also asked if I knew why he was there that day at the hospital…”

Eren looked up after hearing that. The images of that night came back, seeing a man leaning down on him, getting ready to rape him. Krista didn’t know anything about that until Eren told them all, just before they left the fort… Everyone agreed that she should act as if he didn’t tell her anything. “Why would he?”

“… I think he wanted to know so that he could ask me not to tell anyone. He doesn’t want to feel any more shame than what he already feels… he doesn’t want anyone to have bad thoughts of him.”

Ymir rubbed her chin, frowning. “You think the asshole had anything to do with what happened that night?”

Reiner grunted, “Well… I wouldn’t put it past him… but why would he come back for Marco if he was?” He rubbed his head, “He flat out left Annie to die, but came back for him.”

“… Maybe he wasn’t alone…” Everyone looked at Bertholdt, “When he attacked Annie…” Bertholdt looked over at Eren. “Has he mentioned anyone else besides Jean?”

“No… but I’ll try asking when I get the chance… but I think this is the first time he’s interacted with this many people for a long time.” He looked back at everyone. “He’s definitely having a hard time trusting us though.”

Reiner nodded. “That would suggest that something happened that shook his ability to trust people… maybe he found out about something? Annie maybe?”

“Dunno, could be anything… but,” Eren growled the next part out. “I think he really wants to trust Jean though… He said something about Jean’s ‘problems’ improving… and that what happened before doesn’t matter.” He leaned back, taking a deep breath. “And that he just has to accept who he is…”

Mikasa sighed. “Jean might have taken advantage of whatever happened to Marco to gain more control over him…” Her face suddenly went pail. “Wait… it might be Stockholm syndrome instead…” She suddenly looked at Krista. “What are the symptoms of Stockholm syndrome?”

Krista replied after a moment. “It’s when the person being harassed or abused starts to emphasize with the abuser, to survive the environment. The victim starts to see the perspective of the abuser and agree with their opinions and reasons, and have a positive view of their abuser. They will think that the abusive situation of the relationship is there fault, and mistake the lack of abuse and mistreatment as kindness. And when someone outside the relationship’s abusive nature, the victim will become defensive and develop negative feelings towards those who try to help them”

Mikasa nodded as she listened. “… Sounds similar to battered person syndrome.”

“BPS is something that can activate Stockholm syndrome, but the victim fears doing something wrong because of punishment for BPS, while with Stockholm it’s fear of disappointment.” Armin answered to her.

“Wait,” Eren looked directly at the shorter boy, “Are you guys basically saying that Marco has Stockholm syndrome instead of BPS?”

Armin crossed his arms. “Well… He said Jean was ‘improving’, meaning that he still has some disagreements on Jean’s opinions, and that he’s just trying to keep the peace between the different opinions and still has some negative thoughts. Marco is on the verge of developing Stockholm syndrome… but he’s still at just BPS… for now. He’s toeing the line, but he’s not ‘past the point of no return’…”

“Which is where we want to keep him, or better yet, bring him back from,” Krista finished for Armin again. “But… he’ll probably need therapy for help after we… take care of Jean…”

Ymir looked at her girlfriend and asked, “How long was that guy going to be out of town again?”

“A week, and that was yesterday, so six more days,” Krista answered.

Eren looked at Bertholdt. “… How are we going to make sure Marco doesn’t get hurt? I don’t want to keep any secrets from him, or manipulate him. I still feel bad for using him to get to Jean.”

“… In that case, we just have to hope that we can get him to trust us enough by then and convince him to leave Jean,” Bertholdt admitted sadly.

Eren hung his head. “I hope we can…” He looked back in the direction Marco and the dog went. “… I better make sure he didn’t have another panic attack.” He asked Reiner to slide out of the way, and got up as soon as the blonde bulk did.

Figuring Marco must have went to the restroom, Eren went there first to look for him. When he got there, he heard the dog inside the private bathroom that had a small pet door, and the actual door for people was closed.

_He’s here._

Eren slowly approached the door, then gently knocked on it and quietly said, “Marco?” Not getting an answer, he leaned back onto the door, putting his hand on the door handle, figuring he will wait. Much to his shock, it went down and the door open. “GAH!” He fell backwards, the back of his head meeting the wooden planks of the floor. After a moment of being in a daz, he saw that Marco was right in front of him, sitting against the wall, startled by the sudden visitor. He was holding the dog, which gave Eren an upset look. Not the ‘I’m mad at you’ upset, it was ‘I don’t know how to help’ upset.

Marco scrambled up, confused on how Eren got in. “Uh…” He held the dog close to his chest, not sure what to say.

Eren looked up at him, then pointed at the door. “It was… sort of… unlocked. I was just going to wait outside and I accidentally pushed down on the handle.” Sitting up, he felt a throbbing pain on the back of his head. “Oww… What is it with me with falling and getting head injuries?” He stood up and looked at Marco.

“Eren, I’m sorry about what happened, I really am,” Marco immediately started apologizing, holding the dog a bit closer, as if seeking security.

“It’s nothing Marco. You should see the video Armin has of Reiner spraying beer all over us… through his nose… on purpose.” He shuddered at the memory of hulk-size snot with ale landing in his hair. Reiner said it was an accident, but Eren saw him talking to Ymir about a video, that she and Armin would send to him.

Marco nodded, trying to laugh. “A ha ha, okay, that sounds worse… Still, I’m sorry…”

“Hey, it’s fine. I know you didn’t mean to. I’m fine as long as you don’t try murdering me.”

“Did I get anyone else wet?”

“Nah, even if you did, it’s not a big deal.” As he was studying Marco’s face, Eren noticed that his eyes were a bit red and wet looking. He must have had another panic attack. He looked back at the dog, who had returned to nuzzling Marco’s neck, giving him a few licks. “… It really does like you…”

Looking at the dog, Marco gave a small smile. “Y-yeah, for some reason… Dunno why.” The dog heard that and reacted by putting his paw over the left side of Marco’s chest before resting it’s small head there. “Mmm…” Marco scratched it ears, making its tail wag. “Sweet thing.” He walked out of the restroom, but when he was outside, he stopped, looking at the dog with a longing expression.

Eren, right besides the freckled boy, looked at the two, before asking something. “… You would like to keep him… wouldn’t you?”

Marco looked at Eren, confused at first, but then became flustered. “N-no, I said it before-”

“You said,” Eren interrupted, “That your boyfriend is the one who doesn’t like pets. But putting that aside, what do you want?”

Dumbfounded, Marco stared at Eren, then looked at the dog. His face went somber, then he held the dog close to his neck again, which nuzzled his cheek. “… I… I would really like having him around,” Marco admitted quietly.

Eren nodded, then asked, “Couldn’t you just… talk your boyfriend into letting you keep it then?”

“N-no,” Marco shook his head, “He flat out hates them.”

“… Well, don’t take this the wrong way,” Eren said, really hoping this next part wouldn’t set Marco off in a bad way, like in the museum, “But since he’s your boyfriend, your wants and opinions matter as much as his own…”

Not responding, Marco’s eyes flickered with disbelief. “… I… I can’t… J-Jean, he’s already done a lot for me… and I can’t just…”

“You said he was improving though, with… whatever it is. So there shouldn’t be a problem… right?”

“H-he is improving… but he still needs time… so… I don’t think it’s the right time yet…”

“… So, when will it be the right time?”

Marco didn’t answer for a while. “… Soon… but not yet.” Before Eren could press on, Marco asked, “Can we just drop it? I’m sure that when you guys need to go back, the little guy will be used to all of you by then.”

Hearing that, the dog gave a growl as if saying ‘yeah right’. “I’m with the dog on that one,” Eren muttered.

Marco shook his head, “You sure you’ve never seen this dog before? Because you might be related, given your similarities.”

Eren looked at Marco, not sure he heard that right. “What?”

“You both tend to be big grumps, and get into little quarrels with other people.”

“Don’t compare me to that flea ridden bag of fur.” The dog growled viscously when Eren called it that, baring its teeth at him.

“I don’t think it has any fleas, I haven’t seen it scratching,” Marco responded, stroking the dog in an attempt to make him stop snarling at Eren. “Hey, why don’t you try petting?”

“Do you not recall what happened with Ymir and Bertholdt? I think it likes me even less than both of them, and then there is my shoe.” At the last part, he pointed down at his sneaker, which Eren had fixed earlier while Marco was talking to Bertholdt.

“Just once,” Marco insisted holding the dog out for Eren to touch. The dog was giving Eren a look that could only be described as ‘no’. Sighing at the two, Marco gently grabbed Eren’s hand and brought it to the dog. At first, the dog was growling, but when Eren scratched behind it ear, it stopped. Surprisingly, it nuzzled Eren’s hand a bit after a while.

Watching the dog relax as Eren continued touching it, Marco smiled. “See? You two can get along.”

“… I guess…” After a while, Eren noticed that Marco still had his hand on his own. “Uh… Marco?”

“Hmm?” He looked down and realized what he was holding. “Oh! I’m sorry.” He instantly brought it back. “I didn’t mean to…” He looked away, embarrassed again. “W-we better head back…”

As he started walking back to the table, Eren watched Marco look back at the hand that was holding Eren’s. Eren looked down at it, curiosity beginning aroused.

_Why did he hold on even when I was touching the dog? Maybe he’s cold, and likes the heat?_

Something popped into his mind then. Images from that night. He was reaching out for Marco’s face, and Marco held one of his fingers against him, embracing it. Marco would have noticed the higher body temperature then too... just like today.

_That’s right… wait. Does that mean… he remembers? No, Levi said that he didn’t… but, maybe Marco lied? He was drugged at the time, maybe he thought it was just a hallucination that was a result._

Looking back up, he dug his hand into his pocket, feeling the handkerchief, which was dry now. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Mikasa or anyone else about his new suspicion. He then wondered if he should confront Marco about it… No. Marco said it before, he wasn’t sure if he should trust him. If Eren did bring up that night, he might be destroying the only trust he had gained from him.

Figuring the best thing to do would be to ask Mikasa about it first, he headed back to the table, clutching the handkerchief in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, if you have a preference on the dog's gender, lemme know so I can make my decision.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains a non-con flashback! Please proceed with caution!!  
> The OVA that came out literally gave me flash motivation for both the JeanMarco and the ErenMarco X3 ... If you have already seen it and say... never mind, don't wanna spread spoilers for those waiting for the subs  
> This is the fastest update that I have made for this fanfic...  
> Still haven't settled on a gender for the dog yet, so if you have a preference and haven't told me yet, you can either comment or go to my inbox at my tumblr: http://total-wrecker.tumblr.com/

Marco held the dog as it tried to lick his face for the hundredth time. “Now letting Eren pet you wasn’t too bad, was it? Given he’s your human copy, it shouldn’t be.” The dog pulled back and let out what would be a groan, rolling its eyes. “Hey, don’t be like that,” Marco scolded. “If you behave and refrain from biting him or anyone else, I’ll get you the best doggie treats I find when I go and buy stuff for you and the kitty cat, okay?” The puppy’s eyes widened when hearing that, his tail going into a wagging frenzy. Giggling slightly at the puppy, he saw the table that everyone else was at.

He slowed his pace as he got closer, still feeling ashamed of the water incident. Bertholdt saw him coming and got up so Marco could return to his spot, smiling at him. “Hey, you okay?”

“Oh, I’m good, I’m sorry about what happened earlier…” Marco quickly slid in when he got to the booth. He held his head down, trying to avoid their gazes. They all seemed like good people… but he was still wary. He then felt the dog squirm out of his grasp, and watched it as it hauled itself onto the table and started to approach the cat.

“Wait, is that safe? Putting those two together?” Marco looked up and saw Eren coming back, looking alarmed as he watch the dog coming closer to the tiny kitten. The puppy reached its paw out to touch the ball of fur. The cat, seeing the paw, grabbed it with its own tiny paws, as if playing.

“… I guess it is,” Marco replied as the dog was just as playful towards the kitten and allowed it to try climbing up the paw. “Aw, you’re a softie on the inside, aren’t you,” he teased, earning an unamused look from the dog. The kitten squeaked at the dog, prompting the dog to look back at it, and the cat nudged its nose against the bigger one.

“Aww…” Marco glanced at Reiner, who was watching the spectacle. “Isn’t that cute?” He tried to reach for the kitten, which shied away from the gigantic hand. Seeing the cat’s reaction, the puppy growled at Reiner, once again baring teeth. Reiner smirked. “Well, someone is certainly playing ‘knight in shining armor’, aren’t you?” The dog stopped growling and blinked several times hearing that, before turning away, as if embarrassed.

_Yep. Like Eren._

Marco reached for his fork and had a bit more of his salad and ate slowly, careful not to swallow his food wrong again. He watched as the kitten started to lick the dog’s nose before giving it a few bites. The dog froze when it received the bites, looking at Marco for help. Before Marco could do anything, the kitten started to climb the dog’s face. Reaching the top of the dog’s head, it let out a small squeak before yawning. The puppy looked up as the cat curled up on its head, getting comfortable.

“Wow,” Armin commented and looked at Eren, “Even the cat knows you and the dog are alike.” That’s right, the cat was on Eren’s head earlier.

Eren let out a whine. “Will people please stop comparing me to the dog?”

“Nope,” Armin grinned and ate some more of his salad. “It’s too obvious.”

Eren was about to argue but stopped when he probably realized it wouldn’t be effective towards the shorter blonde. Instead, he took another bite of his burger while glaring at Armin.

Marco nearly giggled out loud at the brunette's ridiculous face, and continued eating.

-

“Found our next fishing spot?” Jean looked over and watched as Nathan came back to the car. Fishing spot was code for where they would pick up the selection for the patron’s order, without getting caught.

“Yeah, a bar that’s loose on the age limit. We should find plenty of pickings there.”

“Great, I’ll tell Hitch… Hey, are you really considering going back to check on your boy? You’ll be missing out.”

Jean growled, and crossed his arms. “I don’t care. I thought Marco would be smart enough to stay away from people, but apparently, he met someone yesterday and was gonna have lunch with him. Some Eren Jaeger.” Leaning against the car, Jean reached into his pocket to take a smoke, he continued talking. “I’m not going to leave him for a whole week if he’s gonna get all social. Dunno what kind of ideas will get into his head.” Pulling a cigarette out of the box he was carrying, he put it between his lips and grabbed his lighter. When cigarette lit up, Jean shoved the lighter back into his pocket.

“Think you’ll need to punish him when you get back?”

Taking a long drag, Jean let out the smoke before answering. “Depends. Well, more than likely, but he won’t realize it.” He held his cigarette between his fingers and watched as the ash fell off. Just like Marco’s resistance to him.

He then heard Nathan’s phone go off, which was answered. “Hey. What’s up.” There was a silence following before Nathan broke it again. “Really? Well, less competition for us then~” He let out a laugh at what Jean assumed was good news. “Great, we’ll make sure to get enough to send out tonight.” He ended the call and looked at Jean. “Hey, you know that third-rate ring that kept sabotaging our gatherings every now and then?"

Jean felt his eyebrow twitch hearing about it. God, he really hated that damn ring. "What about them."

"Their boss was caught. He heard about us getting the promotion and decided to try his luck in the interior. Turns out it was pretty bad.” Nathan laughed out loud. "Fucking idiot, who the hell get's picking sin the middle of the day?"

“Hn. Where was he caught?”

“Ah, some museum or something.”

Museum. Where Marco was going today. Jean’s eyes widened before pulling his phone out.

_What if Marco ran into this guy? That idiot could have been caught easily! I might loose him!_

“Do you know if he actually got any pickings?”

“How the hell should I know?”

Growling, Jean started typing in text messages and sending them to Marco.

-

Eren gave a small stretch as everyone walked out of the restaurant, the cat being carried by Mikasa as the dog was walking along with Marco.

“He really likes you Dots…” After a moment, he realized he called Marco that name again. He bumped his fist against his forehead, muttering quietly “Shoot me, shoot me now…”

Marco grinned, “It’s fine Eren, I don’t really mind. Uh, what time is it?”

Eren looked back at Marco and remembered he said something about having to be back by 5:30. Eren pulled his phone out and looked at the clock. “Uh, 2:16. Do you want me to help you get supplies for the mutt?” The dog let out a growl at ‘mutt’. Eren looked down at the thing, not sure whether or not he pet it a while ago.

Marco shook his head at the two of them and answered while smiling, “No, I should be fi-” He was cut off by a loud ‘bing’. Marco froze and stopped smiling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his own phone. There as another bing sound, followed by another. He looked over at Eren, looking both embarrassed and nervous. “Uh, just some text messages from my boyfriend.” The dog let out a whimper, not sounding to pleased. Worried actually.

_Me too dog._

Marco looked down at the dog and back at Eren, trying to smile. “I-it’s fine. I just need to re-” Before Marco could finish, another text came in. He looked at his phone before shooting Eren an apologetic look. “… I… I’m sorry, I won’t take long.” Before Eren say anything, Marco turned away and walked to the lamp post near the street, trying to reply as several more texts came in.

Eren looked back at the rest of the group, several feet away. Mikasa came back over to him. “What’s going on?”

“Jean. He started sending him text messages. A lot of them,” Eren whispered back, making sure Marco wouldn’t notice them talking.

As he was watching Marco, he noticed the dog in worry pawed at Marco’s leg. Marco looked down at it for a moment before he looked back at his phone. Probably a new text. He saw Marco’s eyes beginning to widen a bit, as if panicking, and watched as his fingers started to move faster.

Eren glanced back at his sister, remembering his suspicion of Marco actually remembering their first encounter. “… Mikasa?”

“Hmm?”

“… I need your opinion on something. Can we talk about it when we get back to the room?”

“Sure… wait, it’s not whether or not you want to adopt Marco, is it?”

“No, I want to adopt the dog,” Eren deadpanned at her. “… Seriously, I think it’s important.”

Before Mikasa replied back, she turned her focus to where Marco was standing. “… What’s he doing?” Eren looked to where she was implying, and saw Marco holding his phone out, as if taking pictures of himself. After a while, he resumed typing back replies. Eventually, he stopped typing.

“Try going over there, I think he’s finished,” Mikasa said to encourage Eren. Eren nodded and slowly approached Marco. As he drew closer, he saw that Marco was gripping his necklace, and looked freaked out… like yesterday, after Jean called him on his phone.

-

Marco glanced back for a moment when he was far enough from Eren and the others, making sure that they weren’t watching. He looked back down at his phone, scrolling up to the first text that was sent in before scrolling down.

 

Jean: Marco are you ok?

Jean: I heard a serial kidnapper and molester was arrested in the area where you are

 

How did he find out what happened in the area he was in so quickly? He continued reading.

 

Jean: You didn’t run into him, did you? 

Jean: The description is dark hair early 20s about 6 feet tall

 

Marco blinked, remembering the man who attacked him and Eren back at the museum. Was that the person who Jean was talking about? Marco wondered if he should tell Jean what happened. No. That would just turn into a big mess. He was about to reply when he saw the another that came in just a moment ago.

 

Jean: Why aren’t you replying?

Jean: You did run into him didn’t you?

 

Several other texts came in just then.

 

Jean: Did you?

Jean: Wait

Jean: Did you go to museums at all?

Jean: Hurry up and respond damn it

 

Marco bit his lip and quickly finished his response.

 

Marco: Jean im fine. I didn’t run into anyone with that description. I finished with the museum a while ago and had just finished lunch a while ago. I’m sorry it took me so long to reply.

 

As soon as the text went, Jeans response popped into his phone.

 

Jean: U sure you didn’t run into him?

Marco: yes

 

Marco waited a while before feeling something touch his leg. Looking down, he saw the puppy looking at him with worry. Hearing the familiar bing from his phone that was becoming repetitive, he looked back at it, watching as text messages began flooding the screen.

 

Jean: When did you get to the museum?

Jean: Which one?

Jean: How did you get there?

Jean: When did you leave?

Jean: Where did you eat? 

Jean: And at what time?

Jean: Where are you now?

Jean: Are you going to any other places? 

Jean: Another museum?

Jean: Did you run into anyone else?

 

Marco started to feel a bit freaked out, trying to respond to all of the messages.

 

Marco: I got there around 10:25, I rode the bus

Marco: It was the history museum

Marco: I left the museum around 12:25

Marco: I ate at a restaurant called “Clover” arriving at 12:40

 

Before he could respond to any of the texts that were after the one asking about where Marco ate, another one popped up.

 

Jean: Send me a photo of where u are.

Jean: Also be in the picture.

Jean: NOW

 

Marco hesitantly lifted his phone to take a picture as Jean instructed, trying not to attract attention by looking out of place. After hearing the camera click, he sent the photo to Jean.

 

Marco: Is this good?

 

There was no response for a while, worrying Marco. Then, after what felt like hours, Jean replied.

 

Jean: This will do.

Marco: I’m not sure if I’ll go to any other museums, and I didn’t run into anyone else suspicious

 

Marco paused before adding another message.

 

Marco: Is there anything you need me to do?

Jean: No. Just be back at the apartment by 6:00

Jean: Bye

 

Marco felt relief fill him when no more messages came through.

_Marco, there’s no need to feel relieved, he’s just worried… right?_

But… the way how all of those text messages came in, in such a short period of time… at that rate… it scared him a bit. And the picture was a bit too much as well… He gripped his necklace, trying to reassure himself that it was nothing to worry about.

“Marco?” He nearly jumped when he heard his name being called. Turning to see who it was, he saw Eren, a few feet away. “Everything okay?”

 Marco shuffled a bit, before answer “Y-yeah…” He then heard the dog yelp, and realized he almost stepped on its paw. “Oh! Sorry puppy!” He bent down to pick the puppy up, while still holding his phone. When he stood back up, the dog started licking his face in frenzy, as if trying to comfort him. “I-I’m fine,” Marco tried to say as the dog was near his mouth. He looked at his phone and saw that the time was now 2:20. Looking back at the dog, he wondered how long he would need to look for stuff for both it and the kitty. “Um… I better go now…” He looked at Eren apologetically. “I dunno how long I’ll be looking for stuff for the pets, so I better get to the store soon… I saw one yesterday, so I know where I need to go…”

“Uh, wait,” Eren started, “I can help you with that, getting the stuff.  You’re doing this for us anyway, taking care of the pets since we can't keep them where we're staying,” He ran back to Mikasa, taking the cat from her hands and talked to her a bit. He ran back, carefully so he wouldn’t accidentally hurt the kitty. “Besides, this thing also needs someone to carry it, and I think you have a handful with the mu… dog already.” The dog glared at Eren when it heard the ‘mu’ that was quickly switched out for ‘dog’, having a good idea what he was going to say. Marco stared at Eren, not sure if he should take the offer, especially after all that he's has done for him today.

“Uh, I don’t want to take you out of your way…”

“You're not taking me out of any way...” Eren looked back at his group of friends, specifically at Ymir, then turned back to Marco, “Please, take me with you or Ymir will spike something, force feed it to me, and I’ll wake up tomorrow and find myself with another tattoo, and there is no promise of any dignity being left when I see what it is.” He pulled the same puppy eyed look from breakfast when everyone was trying to stuff his face. "Please."

_It looks similar to the puppy’s own face._

Marco slowly nodded. “A-alright…” He nervously started to walk down to the bus stop they arrived at in the morning, Eren right next to him.

-

The bus took a while to show up, due to the traffic becoming incredibly heavy. After asking the driver if animals were allowed and told that they were as long as they were with their owners, Marco got on before Eren, picking a seat next to the window. Sitting down, Eren sat next to him. The seats on this bus were smaller than the last one, so the two boys were somewhat squished together. Marco avoided looking at Eren out of embarrassment, and feeling nervous about being in such a small space… but, honestly, he liked having the boy pressing against his arm. It was warm. Not as warm as his hand, but pretty similar. It felt nice. Eventually, the warmth was starting to lull him to a daze.

“Hey…” Marco was pulled out of his daze and looked at Eren. “There is enough room here, right?”

“Y-yeah, I’m good…” Marco nodded, knowing Eren must have recalled what happened when he was trying to hide from Mikasa. In shame, he looked out the bus window. He had no idea why this day was so off for him… The dog then pushed its way to Marco’s face, nuzzling him. “Hey, I just said I’m fine,” Marco protested as the dog pressed closer. Not listening, it buried its furry face into the freckled neck. Letting out a defeated sigh, he allowed the dog to stay where it was.

He looked back at Eren, and saw that the kitten, which Eren had carried in his hands the whole time, was now trying to climb his shirt. “This thing is going to love scratching posts,” Eren muttered as it was squeaked at him. Eren smiled at it, stroking its tiny head as he was holding onto it so it wouldn’t fall off as it attempted to get to the top.

Marco smiled at the brunette. He was a lot nicer than he looked at first. He really hoped that he could trust him… maybe, even be friends… He almost scoffed at the thought. Eren said nice things about him before, and helped him, but that was no reason to believe they would be friends.

He then heard giggling from behind, and peeked back to the third row behind him. He saw a couple, boy and girl, watching something on the boy’s phone. He then watched as their faces flushed. He heard the boy mutter, “How the hell is that position possible?” Both of them continued to watch the screen a bit longer before the boy turned it off, beat red. “I think that’s enough of a tutorial for tonight, right baby?”

The girl laughed, poking his sides and his belt. “Oh yeah baby~”

Marco turned away, figuring that they might have been watching a porn video. He had never really watched one intentionally… but he was still familiar with the concept.

\--

_“Oh, come on Marco, smile.” Jean’s voice sounded so alluring, but in the current situation, it was far from comforting. Marco was on the bed, still clothed while Jean was standing up, holding a camera that was recording him. It had been… a month since they got serious, and Jean wanted to make a sex tape. Marco, worried what would happen if he refused, gave a small smile. Jean nodded, “Now strip, slowly… and touch yourself while doing so.”_

_“Y-yes,” Marco replied, moving his shaking hands to remove his shirt. Pulling it over his head, Marco then moved his hands to touch his chest. When his fingers went over his nipples, he looked at Jean, who tilted his head, implying Marco that he liked what he was doing so far. He started focusing on the nubs, rolling them in his fingers. He felt them starting to stiffen, and faked a pleased moan. Keeping one hand at his chest, Marco lowered the other one to his stomach, hoping that he was going at a good pace for Jean. He rubbed his stomach for a bit, then moved it down to his belt. He froze, not sure if he had the guts to do this next part._

_“Marco…” Marco flinched at Jean’s voice, which sounded angry. He looked at the blonde, and saw he was frowning. “Why did you stop?”_

_Marco swallowed. “I… I’m…”_

_“… Not sure if you can do this?” Jean shook his head. “Here.” He then reached one of his hands to move Marco’s stilled one unfasten the belt. When he was done, he grabbed Marco’s hand and had it nudge against his pants' button. Marco, not wanting to make Jean angrier than he already was, popped it open, and slowly started undoing the zipper. “Good boy Marco.” Jean sounded pleased, but still held onto his hand for a while longer._

_When the zipper was completely done, he released Marco, taking a few steps back. Not sure if he was feeling shame or not, Marco grabbed his pants with both hands and started to take them off, leaving the boxers behind. He started to palm himself through the last remaining article of clothing with one hand and returned the other one to his chest. Much to his horror, he felt himself actually getting hard._

_He then heard Jean letting out a moan. “Oh, Marco… You look so gorgeous right now…” In embarrassment, Marco raised his hand that was on his chest to his mouth, holding his index finger next to his lips, trying to avoid Jean’s eye contact. “Look at me as you touch yourself there, Marco.” Hesitantly, Marco turned his head back to Jean, starting to shake uncontrollably. “Don’t be like that Marco,” Jean leaned closer and gave a dangerous smile. “Unless you want to do that other activity instead…”_

_Marco instantly shook his head, his eyes widening. The ‘other activity’ Jean was referring to was the hanger and the whip. He had experienced it three days ago. Jean bounded his hands and suspended Marco above the ground so only his toes were able to reach down, but just barely, but his arms would hurt if he didn't try supporting himself. While he was hanging, Jean used a whip on him, and Marco had no clothing so that the whip’s impact would be full force. The injuries still hurt, but wouldn’t be permanent or make scars…_

_But Marco didn’t want to repeat the entire thing. Ever._

_He kept his face directly at Jean as he continued, before grabbing the boxers at the top, trying to build the courage to pull them off. Swallowing, Marco proceeded with pulling the last thing on him down. “Is… is this good?” He asked just before they were completely off._

_“Oh yes babe, that’s very good,” Jean replied, looking pleased. Marco nodded, removing his underwear completely and set it aside. He grabbed his dick and started to run his hand over it, letting out a moan before biting down on his knuckles. “Mmm, see you’re already turned on.” To Marco’s surprise, he climbed onto the bed, holding the camera so it was directly above Marco. Keeping his gazed on Jean, Marco kept moving his hand. “Hey, wait.” Marco stopped, worried he did something wrong. Jean smirked at him before grabbing his hand and taking his hand away from his member. He pulled a bottle from his pants and opened it, the substance from inside coming out and applied to Marco’s hand. Feeling the slickness of it, Marco realized it was lube. “Get on your hands and knees and finger yourself Marco,” Jean ordered and released his hand._

_“Yes Jean.” Marco repositioning himself, like Jean told him. Feeling his face flush, Marco reached behind and experimentally prodded his hole, knowing he had no other choice if he wanted to avoid that other activity. He inserted his middle finger first, in a hurry. “Ahh!” The liquid on his fingers felt freezing, much more than he was actually expecting. He slowly moved the finger in and out, hoping that despite the discomfort, the lube would warm up, even if just a little bit._

_“Faster.”_

_Hearing Jean’s impatient tone, Marco nodded and did increase the pace. Worried that it was taking to long for Jean, Marco inserted a second finger, increasing the discomfort again. Eventually he felt himself ease open, making things a bit more comfortable. He was just about ready to put a third finger inside when Jean spoke again._

_“No. Don't do that.”_

_Marco blinked at the sudden order, confused. He then felt the bed shifting, and heard footsteps walking away. He turned his head in the direction he heard the footsteps. “J-Jean?” He saw his boyfriend setting the camera down on the table they had in the bedroom, but had it facing the bed. Marco then watched Jean take of his clothes, seeing the childhood scar and a tattoo that he got two months ago on his back when his shirt was removed. When Jean finished, he turned back to Marco, smirking._

_“Did you really think I would let you get off on your own?” Oh god. Marco’s eyes widen at the implication of that sentence, making Jean frown. “Don’t start backing out now Marco,” He said seriously as he walked back over, “Or I’ll have no choice but to punish you.” Pulling Marco up so he was looking at him directly, he then added one more thing as he squeezed the freckled arm as he was holding Marco in place. “Do you want that?”_

_Marco shook his head. “N-no, I’ll be good, I swear!” After a moment of intense silence, Jean sat down and pulled Marco onto his lap so that his chest was against Marco’s back, and made sure Marco’s legs were apart, keeping his hands on Marco’s hips. With no warning, Jean pushed into Marco. “Ah-AHH!!” As Marco cried out from the pain of Jean’s sudden intrusion, shutting his eyes closed and turned his head to the side._

_He then felt something sink into his neck, making him open his eyes again. Before he could realize what happened, Jean gripped his chin, forcing Marco to look straight at the camera on the table. Whatever was digging into his shoulders was removed, and Marco felt Jean lean his head close to his ear. “If you really don’t want any punishments, you will keep quiet and look at the camera while we fuck. Got it?” Marco nodded, and he felt Jean smirk again. “Good boy.” Jean lowered his head and Jean felt something wet run over the spot on his shoulder. Marco then realized Jean bit him and that he was now licking the area where the skin was broken. A small shudder ran through him, and he felt Jean starting to thrust back and forth. Nearly crying out from the pain, he bit down on his hand to keep quiet like Jean told him to, while keeping his gaze forward._

_He felt Jean biting down several more times, and moved one hand to pinch one of Marco’s nipples. There was so much sensation Marco was feeling, and it was becoming too much for him. He felt tears forming in his eyes, but kept looking at the camera, thinking that if he just let Jean do as he pleased, it would be over faster._

\--

Marco suddenly felt sick, and covered his mouth. Oh god, why did he have to remember that? He leaned down a bit, praying that he wasn’t going to puke on the bus. He then felt a headache starting to throb.

_There has got to be something wrong with me. Maybe some kind of flu or virus… or the food from earlier… no, probably a flu. You’ve been off all day, before lunch, so it couldn't be the food..._

The puppy nudged his chin in an effort to help, but it didn’t help much. Eren, who apparently noticed, placed his hand on Marco’s back, worried. “Marco? What’s wrong?”

Marco carefully opened his mouth to speak, but still held his hand over his mouth as he spoke. “I-I think I’m just coming down with something… Just need medicine or something… painkillers maybe.” He slowly started taking deep breaths, hoping it would help like usual. After a while, he didn’t feel nauseous anymore, but the headache was still there, and was possibly getting more intense. He pressed against his temples hoping for some relief.

“Uh, here, I got these while we were at the cafeteria getting the club soda.” Eren held something out in his hand, and it wasn’t the cat. Looking down at it, he saw it was a packet with painkillers. “I wasn’t sure if you would need them or not after… what happened… but I figured, just in case. Oh, but they may cause drowsiness, just as a heads up…” Suddenly, the bus stopped, for what was probably the fifth time in just half a mile. “… But, I think it’s going to be a while before we get halfway to where we need to get off…”

Marco tried to laugh. “Probably…” He took the pills that Eren offered, reading the side effects. Just as Eren said, it read ‘possible drowsiness may occur’.

Wondering if he should just wait till he got home to take some medicine, Marco felt another wave of pain hit him, and decided that he better take at least one, and popped one of the blister in the packet open. Marco took a pill out of it and looked at it for a moment, the dog took a sniff of it and looked back at Marco, as if to assure him that it was safe to take. Marco petted the puppy’s head and popped the pill into his mouth.

-

Eren looked at his phone to check the time. 2:48. Bus left around 2:30, and they hadn’t even gotten to the halfway point to their destination, proving how horrible traffic was right now. He then felt the cat starting to lick his hand before trying to bite, retreating after a moment. The kitten looked at Eren before making a chirp.

“Mikasa’s right,” Eren muttered to the cat, “The thing about you guys meowing is a lie.” As if to answer, the ball of fluff chirped again. It stayed in his hand for a while longer before it trying to crawl over to the dog that was now sleeping in Marco’s lap. Helping the cat get to it’s intended destination and making sure it wouldn’t slide down to the floor, Eren looked up at Marco, who seemed to be nodding off a bit. Probably because of the pill he took. “You feeling better?”

“Mmm?” Marco looked at Eren, confused for a moment. Then he snapped back to reality. “Y-yeah, the pill really helped, thanks… but I’m getting tired…”

“Pill drowsiness doesn’t last too long if it’s a small dosage… when I say pills, I’m referring to pain killers in grocery stores, not ‘for intense wisdom teeth removal and causes hallucinations’ painkillers...” He added that last part recalling that horrible week he was stuck on them.

Marco giggled quietly, “Okay, that’s good I guess…” His eyes then started to droop, and he covered his mouth as he let out a small yawn. He leaned back against his seat, and Eren watched as he stroked both the dog and the cat. When the cat gave a small lick to his hand, Marco looked down at it and smiled.

He glanced back at Eren and asked him something quietly. “Eren…If I do fall asleep, can you promise that you’ll make sure nothing happens… please?”

Eren blinked and nodded. “Of course.” After a moment, he spoke again. He wanted to let Marco hear what he had promised to him before, knowing Marco didn’t know about it. “I promise nothing will happen to you, and I won’t hurt you either. Ever. You can trust me.”

Marco stayed quiet, and looked slightly surprised by Eren’s declaration. He then smiled at him. “You’re so sweet…” Slowly, his eyes closed, despite Marco’s attempts to keep them open, and eventually, he was completely asleep. After a while, his whole body suddenly slumped to the side, his head now resting on Eren’s shoulder.

Feeling himself blush slightly, Eren looked at the sleeping boy. He looked so peaceful, and relaxed. Just like his mom did whenever she was asleep.

\--

_Eren held Mikasa’s hand as they walked back home from the bus stop. Opening the door, he led her in. “Mom, we’re back!”_

_“Eren, try keeping your voice down,” Mikasa said quietly, “We dunno know how mom is right now.”_

_Oh, right… the incident of their mom crying in her bedroom happened a few weeks ago, and both of them were trying not to make her upset like she was that day. “Should we bring her the cake that we made in class?”_

_“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Mikasa said, pulling out a box from her bag that had a slice of cake that their class made today. “Let’s check her bedroom first.” Nodding, Eren followed her up the stairs and went to their parents’ bedroom door. Mikasa knocked on it slightly. “Mom, you there?” No answer. She looked at the door knob and grasped it, opening the door. Both children peeked inside, and saw their mother on the bed._

_“Is she okay?” Eren went in to take a closer look. He realized that she was asleep. She looked so calm right now, relieving Eren, and he decided that it was better to leave her as she was. “Let’s just put a note on the cake for her when she wakes up, okay?” Mikasa nodded, and pulled a piece of paper out of her backpack. While both of them headed out, he looked at their mom, and said,  “Love you mom.”_

\--

Eren smiled a bit recalling that memory. When their mom woke up, she came down and all three of them shared the cake that they gave her. She was so happy, which made Eren feel that he helped her.

Carefully, he reached for Marco’s face and brushedsome of his hair to the side. Eren really hoped that Marco did remember something of him in his titan form. He then noticed another bruise on Marco’s neck, peeking out of the scarf, larger than the first one he noticed… and upon a long and closer inspection, Eren then noticed the small scabs on it… they were irregular shaped by themselves, but formed some kind of pattern all together…

_Oh god._

It wasn’t a hickey. It was a bite mark, and it seemed like the skin was broken when it was formed. Alarmed, Eren was going to move the scarf to see how bad it was, but stopped himself. He couldn’t just remove any of Marco’s clothing without his consent, even if it was a scarf… or if Marco was unconscious. That was no different than forcing him... It didn’t matter what his reasons were, it would be wrong.

Reluctantly, but knowing better, Eren lowered his hand. He looked back at Marco’s sleeping face... He wanted to ask Marco so badly whether or not he remembered that night, and tell him what he was, regardless if he remembered… but how would Marco react? Although he never asked or talked to him about it, Bertholdt’s family disowned him when he found out about his ability to shift. What if Marco reacted the same way if he found out about Eren and the others?

And… if he was on the verge of developing Stockholm syndrome… how was he going to help him from actually developing it completely? Could he tell Marco what happened to Annie, or will it just make it worse? He was also worried how he would react how he would react when Reiner, Ymir and Bertholdt kill Jean…

He knew he had to tell him eventually though. Everything.

He moved his hand to touch Marco’s shoulder pull him closer, not sure if this was the best idea. “I’m going to keep my promise Marco… I just… I wanna ask that…” His voice was quiet, so no one else could hear him. “… Whether or not… you remember how we actually met the first time… please don’t push me away when I tell you the truth… about all of it… because...”

_Because what?_

Eren didn’t have any justification to ask Marco this. All he could to was hope that all of it would turn out for the best. Sighing to himself, Eren suddenly felt Marco press a bit closer, as if snuggling. Eren moved his head to nudge at the freckled boy’s own, before speaking again.

“... Please don’t hate me when all of this is over.”

-

Jean was in the car, using Nathan’s computer to track down where Marco had sent the picture and where he took it. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what. Eventually, the result of taping into satellite pictures to find the exact spot paid off. The area Marco was when he took the photo was near a restaurant not too far from the museum. “He wasn’t lying about that,” Jean muttered. He then tried to go into the camera service of the museum. That was a lot harder.

“Dammit…” he growled as he tried to bypass several firewalls. After several trial end errors, he finally broke into one camera that was in a side hallway, but couldn’t get any sound. Going to the time range Marco said he was in the museum, he went back so the time stamp read ’10:25’. Fast-forwarding, he scanned the video, figuring he should try whatever he got.

Just when he was wondering if he should just keep trying to get into some other camera, he noticed two people. One of them was the boss of the other trafficking ring that Nathan said got arrested. The other person… was Marco. Jean’s eyes widened and looked at the time stamp when this happened. 11:55. He gritted his teeth as he went back a bit to see what happened exactly.

_Marco did see that asshole._

“That idiot, why didn’t he tell me about this?!” Starting the video again, he watched as the older man was pulling Marco out of the other hallway by the scarf the freckled boy was wearing. Jean watched as Marco turned to face the boss and saw the older man was talking to Marco, which Marco seemed to respond to by begging to leave. The man then pressed Marco against the wall before leaning in and being shoved away.

_At least the bitch isn’t trying to get laid while I’m gone._

He then watched as the older of the two people in the tape grabbed Marco’s arm. What happened next surprised Jean. He saw something tackled the ring boss to the floor, pulling him off Marco. “What the fuck?” He continued watching as whatever knocked the man in the video down got back up before kicking him in the face, making him writhe on the ground, giving Jean some joy. Pausing it quickly, he studied the image to see what the thing was.

It was a boy, a bit younger than him, with brown hair and a white shirt. He resumed the video to see what happened after kicking the bastard in the face. He watched as the brunette turned to Marco, alerting Jean. He watched as the smaller boy started approaching Marco, then turned back to the bastard who was picking himself up, while covering a broken nose. The boy then yelled at the man, who must have yelled something back. After a moment, the boy’s face was distorted with rage and he slammed his fist into the adult’s face, knocking him down again. He then screamed something at the bleeding bastard, amusing Jean.

He then watched as Marco grabbed the boy’s hand and ran out to the hallway that he was pulled out of earlier. The bastard left behind yelled something at them, but stayed there for a while longer before getting up again.

Jean didn’t care about that though. He was trying to figure out what the hell that boy just did... well, he knew what the guy did, but he was trying to figure out why.

_Why the hell would he help Marco out? That idiot is completely useless, anybody could tell that... And why did Marco pull him out when he was leaving?_

Watching the video several times again, he kept trying to figure it out… when he remembered what Marco said yesterday. He fell on someone while climbing a tree… a guy… Eren Jaeger. His eyes widened. “No… It can’t be…” The guy didn’t sleep with Marco, so why the hell would they be together again the following day? He went back to trying to tap into the other cameras. “I need to see if they were together anywhere else, just to be sure.”

_If he has been getting ideas of other people possibly caring for him, I’ll make sure that he gets a reminder that he belongs to me, and that he’s damaged goods, so no one else would give a fuck if they knew._

He grinned to himself, amused by the idea that Marco actually believed someone else could care. “Idiot… But better be sure about what went on there exactly.” Jean muttered to himself as he continued working on the computer, “If he is with Marco in any other places, then I’ll start digging up who he is…”

_He might help make a decent profit anyway._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter may take a while, my classes are going to start in two weeks...


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I just wanted to say that I do like Jean, but I wanted to write Dark!Jean, so that is why I am writing this fic. I do not hate the actual Jean, if any of you guys were wondering.
> 
> The votes on the dog's gender is currently 2 for female and 2 for male. So I have not yet settled for a gender just yet. Be sure to comment or go to my tumblr inbox if you have a preference.
> 
> BTW the cat is about 4-5 weeks old, and the dog is about 9 weeks old.
> 
> Oh, next chapter will take a bit longer than the last few, since my classes start in less than a week QAQ And I have also been working on another fanfic which should be posted up soon ^^

Marco was in a field, which he thought at first it was the field he was taken to when he was kidnapped, but he realized it wasn’t. It was one that he played in with Jean when they lived in Jinae. He recognized it because he saw a river running through it, the same river he played next several times, and injured himself once. Curious, Marco headed to the river to take a look. When he was close to the edge, he leaned over to see what was in the water. Looking down, he saw a reflection… but it wasn’t him. Well, not the current him. It was Marco when he was nine.

“Marco!!” Hearing his name being called, Marco looked back to see who it was. It was Jean, also nine. “Hey, come on, I wanna show you something.” Before Marco could say anything, Jean was pulling him way from the river. As they were walking, Marco remained quiet, figuring there was no point in asking where they were going. Jean brought him to the tree he fell from.” I’ll be back soon, so wait.” He then ran off, leaving Marco by himself. Marco, looking down at the ground, noticed a giant shadow next to him, but it wasn’t the tree. Baffled by what it could be, he looked up to see the figure that the shadow belonged to.

The giant was standing there, looking at Marco. He kneeled so that he was closer down to the freckled boy. “What are you doing here?” Marco asked the giant. Marco watched as the giant moved his hand to brush against the freckled boy, touching his cheek just like the first time. It’s skeleton like mouth started to open, and Marco heard it speak.

“Please don’t hate me.”

It was talking with Eren’s voice.

Marco blinked in surprise, and suddenly found himself back on the bus. He rubbed his eyes, confused at the change of scenery.

_Oh… it was just a dream. I should have known… I’m so dumb…_

He then realized he was leaning to the side, on top of something. He moved so he could see what, and he saw Eren looking back at him, and gave him half of a smile, “Hey, guess you woke up.”

Marco’s brain blanked out on him for a few seconds, then kicked up again, making Marco realize that he when he was sleeping, he must have been on Eren. He instantly pulled back so he wouldn’t be on him. “Oh my god, d-did I fall asleep on you?”

“No, you fell asleep, then you slumped onto me after a while… afterwards,” Eren pointed to the cat that was on his, “This thing assumed I was a climbing post again. And the dog decided that, like before, I am a chew toy.” He then help up his hand, which had small bite marks and slobber on it.

Marco looked down at the puppy, who was still in his lap. The puppy looked up to him, and gave him an ‘I didn’t do it’ look, wagging his tail. “Do I need to remind you of the treats? I said if you didn’t bite him or anyone else, I would get you some.” The puppy’s tail stopped wagging, the fluffy face seemed apologetic now. Marco sighed, shaking his head. “Alright, I’ll still get you the treats if you promise that this is the last time that you bite any one.” The dog gave a few nods.

Eren looked at the dog, looking unamused. “Can’t believe he actually seems to understand everything you say…” The dog then looked at the brunette and stuck its tongue out at him. “… Okay, that is the second time he did that directly at me.”

“Sticking his tongue out at you?”

“Yeah.”

The puppy then looked back at Marco, his tongue still out, then climbed up to Marco’s face and resumed his doggy-kisses. “Pfft, silly puppy,” Marco said in response. “You really are silly.” As the dog nuzzled his chin, Marco looked out the window and saw traffic outside moving slowly. “How long was I asleep?’

“Well, it’s 3:27 right now, so about 35 minutes, give or take. Traffic is pretty bad, there were three cars that were pulled over by cops. All in different places.”

“Wait, how far away are we from the stop we need to get off at?”

“… Given this ride so far, I’d day at least another half hour,” Eren deadpanned.

-

Much to both boys’ surprises, it was just another ten minutes. Eren got up and cradled the cat in his arms, wincing when he felt it bite his wrist and long his forearm. “Are you trying to eat me or something?” He muttered as the black living cotton ball continued with nibbling him.

Stepping of the bus, he looked back and watched Marco as he carried the dog as he stepped off after Eren. “We finally made it!!” The dog leaped down from Marco’s arm and ran to several other dogs that were being walked across the street. “Ah! No! Get back here!” Marco ran after the dog, and managed to grab it before a car ran into it.

“Marco!!” Eren ran over to the freckled boy, who fell backwards holding the dog. He grabbed his hand and helped Marco back up, pulling him back to the grass past the sidewalk. When they were far enough from the street, he glared at the dog, which for once showed shame about its actions. “Geeze, we better get this thing a leash.”

“Y-yeah, we better…” Marco nodded in agreement. “Sorry about that by the way…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Eren responded. Marco smiled shyly, nodding, probably not believing it. “So, which was is the pet store?”

“Um… down three blocks, then a right. It’s not too far from where we had lunch yesterday… it’s actually a few doors from their.”

“Care to lead the way?”

Marco rubbed the back of his head, “Uh, if you’re fine with that…” He went in front of Eren and took the lead back to the sidewalk.

As they were both going down, a lot of girls kept noticing them, saying stuff along the lines of, “Aw, they look so cute,” and squealing in delight of seeing the two boys carry the baby animals. Several kids ran up to them to ask to touch the animals… or just simply to touch them, which didn’t go so well with the dog, given its ‘I am so done with this’ look. At least it didn’t bite any of them.

When the pet store came into view down the sidewalk, a little girl, possibly three years old, ran up to both from a bench. “Pahpy and kitty!” She repeated that words several times as she came closer before a woman who Eren assumed was her mother stood up from the bench.

“Catherine, be careful!” Eren then noticed that the girl was attached to an oxygen tank that was in her backpack, which was on the bench. The tube connecting her to it was stretched to the limit, threatening to disconnect. “I’m sorry about this,” the mother apologized to the boys and brought the girl’s tank closer, the girl oblivious to the near threat to her life.

Marco smiled, “No ma’am, it’s fine.” He then kneeled down to the little girl. “Do you want to pet both puppy and kitty?”

‘Catherine’ nodded, “Pahpy and kitty!” She clapped in excitement and looked at her mother gleefully, who held onto the oxygen tank and watched the child carefully. The girl looked back at Marco and was bouncing up and down, chanting.

Marco set the dog down, “You be good to her, okay?” The dog gave a small nod before the girl patted its head. Marco stood back up and turned to Eren. “Sorry but I need to take this,” He said as he took the cat from him and kneeled onto the ground again. Catherine looked up from the puppy, and clapped her hands when she saw the tiny ball of fluff, giggling. “Be careful, this one has teeth and claws,” Marco warned as he held the kitten out for her, earning a chirp.

Catherine ran her hand down its face before holding its paw. “Kitty paw mama!!” She then raised the cat’s paw to show her mother the paw pads, which were mostly pink except for a few dots. “Pink paw pillows!”

The mother smiled at Catherine, “They are cute, aren’t they Catherine?” Catherine nodded and resumed petting the baby animals for a while longer. “Catherine,” The mother interrupted the petting session, “We need to go soon or we’ll be late for dinner with mommy. Say bye to the doggy and kitty. And be sure to thank the young man for letting you pet them.”

Catherine pouted but nodded, then looked back to the dog and cat, “Bye bye pahpy, bye bye kitty.” She turned to face her mom but turned back to Marco, “Thank you.” Her mom put the backpack with the tank on the little girl’s back before taking her hand and leading her the opposite direction that Eren and Marco needed to go.

“She was cute,” Marco remarked standing back up.

Eren nodded. “… That was very nice of you.”

“No reason why I shouldn’t have done it,” Marco said as the dog rubbed against his leg. “Do you mind if you can hold the cat again?” He held the tiny creature to him.

“No, it’s fine.” Eren reached for the cat, which bit his hand when touched it, a little too hard this time though. “Ow!” He accidentally let go and it fell, but Eren managed to catch it before it hit the ground… so did Marco. Eren felt his fingers being touched by Marco’s own as they held the kitten up, blushing slightly. He looked up at Marco, who was fixated on his hands.

He then heard Marco mutter something.

“… So warm…” Marco looked up slowly, and suddenly became very red. “Oh god, I’m sorry!!” He took a few steps back, getting very flustered. “Is the cat okay? It’s my fault that happened, I’m sorry!”

Eren looked at the cat, who resumed nibbling him. “Yeah, it’s fine. And it’s not your fault,” He replied, standing back up. Marco fidgeted for a while, the mutt next to him. Silently, he nodded and picked the dog up, and went straight for the pet store, keeping a fast pace. “Hey, wait up!” Eren ran to catch back up with Marco, who stopped when he heard Eren. “Don’t leave us behind.” Marco turned his head slightly to look at Eren, probably still embarrassed about holding his hand.

“… Sorry.” Marco turned away again, walking along side Eren. When they finally got to the pet store, Marco held the door open for Eren, “You can go in first,” he said smiling. Eren nodded, going in quickly. Watching Marco grab a basket and walk up to the collar section, Eren felt his phone buzz. Taking it out, he saw missed calls. One was from Mikasa… the other one was from Levi, who’s call was apparently before hers. And then he noticed that his phone was almost out of battery.

_Oh. Shit._

-

The first thing Marco started looking for was a collar and leash for the little dog, and found the collars were hung on a wall. He spotted a blue collar and showed it to the dog, who shook his head. “When did you become a fashionista,” Marco joked as he put the collar back where he found it. “In that case,” He set down the shopping basket and picked the dog up to show him the collars, “You pick.” After a moment, the dog nudged its nose against a green harness. “This one?” Marco picked it up from the hook it was sitting, holding it. The dog gave a small bark and a few licks, confirming his thoughts. “Okay then.”

He then placed it into the basket, which he then picked up. Still holding the dog in one arm, he went over to the leashes. He wanted to find one that would be long enough to give the dog some freedom to walk around. He found one that was retractable in length, and had the dog look at it. When the puppy looked at it then back at Marco, before bobbing its head. Marco put the leash into the basket. “Okay, now we better look for brushes and grooming stuff.” The dog let whined hearing that. “Considering that you bit Eren after I told you not to and I’m still getting you treats, you are just going to have to put up with it.” The puppy then gave a frown, and hung his head, as if saying “Fine.”

Marco grinned and was walking out of the current section when his eyes caught sight of something. Something that was looked familiar... Intrigued, Marco took a closer look, and to his horror recognized it. It was a leash with matching collar, black leather, both of them connected. The collar was designed to tighten when the leash was yanked, prompting obedience.

Marco knew how it worked because the collar and leash were similar to the set Jean got him.

\--

_Marco was curled up in bed, half awake. It was the middle of the day, but when he first woke up three hours ago, Jean had told him not to get out of the bed, and that he was going to be gone for several hours. Not wanting to cause trouble, Marco agreed… and he was still sore from last night, so Marco figured that it would be better just to stay still for now. He adjusted himself a bit so he was on his back, started falling asleep again, and was completely out._

_He wasn’t sure how long he slept. He was woken up when he felt something press against his hole. His eyes opened as he looked up, and saw Jean leaning over him, and had positioned himself to enter Marco. “Jean, wha-” His air supply was suddenly cut off by a tightening sensation on his neck. He tried to call out to Jean, but was unable to._

_“Tch, such a noisy boy~” Jean muttered, pulling a leash. Marco then realized that it was attached to a collar around his neck, being tightened as Jean yanked the leash. Marco reached for the collar in an effort to take it off, but his hand was slapped, making him stop. He felt the collar release it tight grip on Marco’s neck, allowing him to breathe again. While he was getting air back into his lungs, Jean grabbed his chin to make Marco look at him directly. “Looks like you’ll need another lesson~” He then bit down on the leash, pulling up and making the collar tighten again. Then he grabbed Marco’s hips before thrusting into him._

_Marco immediately felt pain, realizing that Jean hadn’t prepared him. He would have screamed, but that wasn’t possible. He couldn’t breathe._

\--

Marco took a few steps back, not wanting to recall the rest of what happened then. The dog whimpered and pawed his chin. Marco tried to smile, feeling comforted a little bit by the soft paw. “… Let’s just go…” Marco left the isle as quickly as possible. The grooming section was the isle next to where Marco had just gotten out. He looked at several brushes, picking out one to help untangle fur. He then was looking at shampoos, and heard a whine from the puppy. He shook his head. “Look, I need to clean you up a bit. And unlike a cat, I doubt you can give yourself a bath.” While picking up a few, he decided to go with one for both cats and dogs. “Alright, I think that should be enough of this stuff.”

He looked at the dog and smiled. “Wanna get some toys?” The dog cocked its head and nodded. “Okay, let’s go then.” He went to the next isle. It had toys for both cats and dogs. After grabbing a few squeaky toys, a rope with a knot, and a stuffed dog bone, Marco was going to head to the food isle. Then he noticed that Eren was over at the far end of the isle, talking on his phone.

“Mikasa, can you try saying that again, you’re breaking… hello?” Marco watched as Eren pulled his phone from his ear and looked at it. “Fuck.”

Marco, a bit curious, approached Eren. “Are you okay?”

Eren looked up in surprise. “Uh, well aside from the dead phone, I’m okay.”

Marco nodded. “Do… do you want to borrow mine?”

“Nah, not right now.” Eren then turned to the shelves next to him. “Just need to get the cat away from the catnip toys before any more bags are opened…” Marco looked at where Eren was focusing on and saw the kitten was playing around with several toy mice, next to an empty bag that read “Catnip mice”, that had a few small holes as well a big one.

“Hang on, it opened up a bag?!”

“Yeah, I tried to stop it, but that cat went nuts. At least we know what to give it for playing.” Eren tried to reach for the bag, but then the cat went for his fingers, clawing and biting them. “Ow!! Marco, try distracting it!”

“A-alright!” Marco set the basket and the dog down and rushed to the shelf, pickled up one of the toy mice and swung it in front of the kitty. The kitten immediately noticed and released Eren’s fingers, letting the smaller boy grab the bag, as well as some of the mice and started putting them back in the bag.

When he got all but the one the cat was dealing with, Eren turned back to Marco. “Uh, need to put this into the basket.”

“Oh, yeah,” Marco replied and went back to the basket, and noticed the shampoo and brush was missing. He looked up and saw the dog frozen a few feet away, with both things in its mouth. Sighing, Marco wiggled his fingers. “C’mon, bring that back.” Tail curling submissively, the dog returned the stolen items back into the basket. “Good boy.” Marco then picked both the dog and the basket up, and came back over to Eren. “Here.” Marco held out the basket.

“Thanks.” Eren dropped the bag into the basket. Just then, the cat accidentally rolled of the shelf and landed in the basket as well. “Woah!” Eren looked closer to make sure the cat was all right. It must have been, because it immediately tried to bat his face before returning to the mouse that came down with it. “Yeesh, what’s with these two?”

“Full of energy?” Marco held the dog as he started walking again. “Wanna help me pick out food?”

Eren rubbed his neck. “Y-yeah, sure thing Dots… DAMMIT!! I swear I don’t mean to keep calling you that!!” Eren flushed beet red, waving his hands in front of him.

Marco shook his head. “You’re so funny.”

Eren said nothing, walking behind Marco, still red. When they got to the food section, the dog jumped out of Marco’s arm and went for the lowest shelf. It immediately grabbed a bag of snacks and started teething it, pulling it off the shelf and was trying to open it. “Ahh! Bad boy!!” Marco dashed over to the dog, pulling him away from the bag. “Wait till we buy it!!” He pulled the puppy off the bag and picked the bag off the floor. “Silly,” Marco scolded slightly as he pulled the dog away. He set the bag into the basket before looking for some kind of kibble for the dog. He spotted a medium sized bag that said was for puppies, so he grabbed that, hoping it would be enough.

As he was grabbing four bowls and two saucers, Marco looked over at Eren and saw him grabbing some cat milk and wet food. “Okay,” Eren said to himself, “This should be good for that thing.” Marco couldn’t help but feel some warmth fill his heart watching Eren. He suddenly started hearing something, like a ringing noise, confusing him… Marco then noticed that Eren was turning back around, and tried to look normal. “Alright, I think this should be enough for the cat.” He set the food down next to the cat, who squeaked at him and sniffed at the food before returning its attention to the catnip mouse. “Is there anything else we need to get them?”

“… Uh, beds I think? Maybe a litter box for both of them? And it’s not really for them, but a hair remover?”

Eren nodded. “Okay, let’s go get them.” The puppy then walked back over to the two boys, holding a rawhide bone. Eren stared at it disapprovingly. “… Seriously?”

“It’s fine, it might be useful,” Marco said as he took the bone from the dog’s mouth and placed it in the basket. He started walking to the next isle. “I guess after this, we better…” Suddenly, Marco heard the ringing sound in his ears again, and felt lightheaded. He was pretty sure he heard his name before blacking out.

-

“Mmm…” Marco blinked his eyes open, finding himself lying on his side on a bench in the park, confusing him since he remembered that he was just in the pet store. He tried moving, but for some reason, he just felt really tired… and the back of his head felt a little sore. He then heard the dog whining, and saw it sitting right in front of the bench, with the kitten once again on his head. Marco managed to push himself out before asking, “What… happened?”

“You fainted.” Marco looked to the side and saw Eren sitting beside him. “I think it was either the painkillers from before, or you were a little dehydrated or didn’t have enough to eat earlier. When you collapsed, you ended up hitting your head, knocking you out for a while… and I carried you here. There wasn’t a concussion, if that makes things a bit better.”

Marco felt embarrassed hearing all of that. “… Oh…” He felt his cheeks starting to turn red.

“I already bought all the stuff, including beds and a hair remover… oh, and I got the cat’s nails painted, so it won’t leave scratch marks on any furniture… or walls.”

“Thanks….” Marco tried to get up but almost fell over, saved when Eren caught him from the front. Marco blushed slightly, holding onto Eren. “S-sorry…I guess you had to carry the stuff by yourself?”

“Wasn’t that hard. Last year, I had to carry Armin after he accidentally twisted his ankle, and both of us had our backpacks as well. If you put bags onto your belt, and make sure that the belt is tight enough to keep them from bringing the pants down, it’s actually pretty helpful… and the dog was actually helping me out.” He then gestured to the puppy, which had several small bags right next to it and had both the collar and leash on, and Marco looked back at Eren and saw several plastic bags looped onto his belt, as well as his arms, and some on his shoulders like a purse.

“… I didn’t mean for this to happen…”

“Not your fault,” Eren replied. Marco felt Eren’s hands hold him up, one of them going to his back and rubbing him in an effort to make him relax.

_… This feels… familiar…_

Marco then realized it was starting to get dark. He reached into his pocket to pull his phone out.

“Marco?”

Marco didn’t respond, rushing to check the time. 5:04. He wasn’t at the apartment yet. “… Oh god.” He pushed himself off Eren. “I… I really need to get back to my place now…” He picked up the bags that were set next to the puppy before picking both it and the cat. He then froze, looking back at Eren and the bags on his arms… and belt. He wasn’t sure if he should have Eren help him carry the stuff to the apartment, but he had no idea how to ask for the bags.

_What am I suppose to say? Can you take your belt off?!_

He opened his mouth, trying to make himself talk. The only thing that came out was a few ‘um’s as he tried to get himself to ask Eren if he could remove the bags, without sounding sexual.

Eren walked up to him. “I’ll help you take the stuff you your place. Plus, don’t wanna leave you alone if you pass out again.”

Marco turned away, thinking it over carefully. Eren was a good person… and he had so far had shown good intentions towards Marco… maybe it would be okay for Eren to come over, even for a little while. “Th-thanks…” He walked down the pathway leading to the apartment, besides Eren. As they were walking, he checked his phone to see if there were any texts or missed calls from Jean.

None.

He shoved the phone back into his pocket and led Eren onward.

-

When they came through the apartment main entrance, Eren looked around the place. It was already having that ‘100 grand a month’ feel. He heard the dog whine as Marco led them to an elevator. “Hey, it’s not going to take long,” Marco chided to it as he pressed the up button. When the elevator door opened, both boys stepped onto it, Marco making sure that the leash was out of the doorway. When he was sure that it was clear, Marco pressed the button for the eighth floor.

The cat chirped looked at Eren from Marco’s arm and chirped at him. Eren looked back at it, “What?” It just chirped at him again. A bit bored, Eren tried to mimic it, but instead of a chirp, he said, “Meeeerrrr….” He heard Marco giggle a bit.

Just then the elevator made a ding, it stopped and the door opened. “My place is just down the hall, so you can just follow me,” Marco said as he and Eren got off. Marco stopped when he got to a door with the numbers ‘810’. “Uh…” He turned back to Eren, “Just give me a moment, need to get my card out…” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small white card, then ran it on a small scanner that was on the door. There was a whirring sound and Eren nearly jumped when it opened. Marco went in first and turned back to Eren, “… Um, you can come in… if you want.”

When Eren walked in, he examined Marco’s flat. If the entrance said ‘100 grand’, this place was screaming ‘500 grand’. Eren looked back at Marco, who was walking over to a hallway and opened one of the doors up. “Sorry guys,” Marco said as he went in, “But my boyfriend is going to video call me soon, and I can’t have him see you guys, or he will… might get mad…” Eren continued watching, feeling that something was off. Very off. Jean’s long trip, the job description for a guy his age, and being able to afford a place like this?

_Now I really doubt that Jean’s job is related to just computers and paper work._

Figuring that he should talk to the others about it, he went to the room where Marco went in. Getting to the doorway, Eren peered in. He saw Marco opening a cardboard box and pulled out a large turquoise blanket, laying it on the floor right next to a bed. He then reached for the kitten and said, “Come here,” before he picked it up and set it down, watching it walk around and make some noise, while the dog trotted over and sniffed the blanket. Marco then stood up and went to the bags that he was holding when he came in. “Is the food stuff here?”

Eren looked at one of the bags on his belt, and saw a wet food can. He then realized that the dog’s food was one of the bags on his shoulder, same went for the bowls. The food bags were with him. Marco continued searching through the bags when Eren coughed to get some attention. Marco turned to face him. “Uh…” Eren started and pointed to the bag at his waist. “I… have the food… for the cat… and the dog’s food too… and the bowls.”

Marco stared at him for a moment before speaking. “Oh… uh… the bags aren’t… on your… belt are they?”

“Uh… just one…”

_Things just got awkward._

Marco and Eren went quiet, the silence broken by Marco’s phone. He quickly pulled it out and answered it. “Hello?... Jean!” He quickly stood up, looking nervously at Eren just before he left the room. Eren went in and undid his belt, setting the bags down as they came off, and continued listening to Marco’s voice, which was far away now, barely in earshot. “Hi, I though you were going to…” There was a moment of silence, meaning Marco was too far to hear now. Eren was pulling out the cat’s food, the kitten squeaking hungrily. After a while he heard Marco again. “… I understand… take care… love you.” After a moment, Eren heard the footsteps coming back to the room, and took the bags on his arms off, getting the bowls out and setting them on the blanket. When he heard the footsteps at the door, he looked up and saw Marco coming back in, putting his phone away. The dog got up and went straight to him, barking. Marco looked at hit, kneeling down to pet it. “Hey, get back in there,” Marco said gently as he nudged the dog back in. He looked back up and saw Eren with the stuff.

“Uh…” Eren stammered as Marco came back in slowly. “… I was just getting the stuff out of the bags… anything else you need?”

“Uh, no, I can take care of the rest.” He walked back over and sat next to the cat and grabbed the milk before pouring it into a small saucer. He then pushed it towards the kitten, which took a few steps towards it before lapping it up. Marco smiled at the cat before looking back at Eren. “Um… it’s getting a little late. I’m sure your sister and friends are getting worried…”

Eren let a huff before standing up. “Yeah, guess I should get going… you don’t need help with anything else?”

“Uh,” Marco stood up again and ran his hand through his black hair. “I don’t think I do…”

“… Well, if there is, my phone should be charged again in an hour or so, so you can either shoot me a text or a call. Don’t hesitate. And I should be free tomorrow as well… unless Armin drags me off somewhere.”

Marco smiled. “Thanks. I’m just going to see you out if that’s okay.”

Eren nodded and walked out of the room with Marco behind, after the latter told the dog to stay, earning a whine. As they were at the front door, Eren stopped quickly. “What did your boyfriend call you about? You don’t have to tell me, I’m just a little curious.”

“… Oh… just that he’s going to be tied up with work and that he wouldn’t be able to video chat with me…” Marco looked away, looking a little sad.

“… Must be a lot of work, given the place I guess…”

Marco scratched his head. “Yeah… although I wish he’d take more time off… maybe…” Marco stopped there, just before shaking his head a bit. “Never mind…”

Eren nodded. “Maybe you can talk to a friend of his or some…” He then noticed Marco squeezing his hand tightly at the very mention of ‘friend’, and saw that he was biting the inside of his cheeks. “Sorry, I’m bad at staying out of other peoples’ business… Big dummy, that’s me…”

Marco looked back at him, trying to smile. “No, you’re just concerned. It’s the thought that counts…” He then looked down for a moment. “… I… I want to say thank you… for putting up with me…”

“… There was nothing to put up with… nothing unreasonable anyway.”

Looking back up, Marco’s freckled cheeks had a small tinge to them. “… Well, guess I need to say goodnight now.”

Eren held the door handle as he continued talking to Marco. “Yeah. Goodnight… and be sure that the cat doesn’t eat you in your sleep.”

Marco giggled at Eren’s comment. “I won’t. I’ll make sure both of them have enough to eat.”

Eren smiled at him. “Alright.” And with that, he went out of the apartment.

-

Marco was searching through his belongings in the dresser, seeing if he had any sleepwear. Nothing that was what he would consider real sleepwear… He didn’t feel like sleeping in the nude tonight, since the apartment felt a little cold, but he didn’t know how to adjust the temperature. “Guess I’ll need to substitute with my sweats…” He closed the drawer he currently had open closed, and opened another one to pull out some sweatpants he kept there and a old shirt. He had already taken some medication to help with flus and cold, since that was the most reasonable thing he could think of that could be making act weird.

After changing into his substitute sleepwear, he headed back to the second bedroom where he was keeping the pets. He opened the door and went in. “Hey, you two good?” The kitten was still on the blanket, and was trying out the wet food, the dog watching over it. Both baby animals looked at Marco as he came in, the cat making a high-pitched sound. “Good to see you two getting along,” Marco said as he sat down on the blanket that was laid out. The dog suddenly tried to crawl onto him, whimpering. Marco was confused for a moment, but then realized why.

The marks on his neck were visible. He immediately tried covering them with his hands, in an attempt to hide them. There probably wasn’t any real need to hide them. It wasn’t like either one of the pets could tell people… but he still felt some shame for having someone notice them. The puppy managed to get onto Marco’s lap, looking at Marco with concern. “… I’m fine… I promise.” Marco reached for the dog and started scratching behind its ear, earning some kind of sound that suggested that the action was pleasing.

Marco looked over at the clock that stood on the table not far from where he sat. 8:13. He leaned back a bit, leaning onto the bed behind him, going over all the events that happened. “… Wow… today felt… longer than most days…” He then started to feel his eyes start to droop, and rubbed them. “Guess I better get ready for bed…” He looked back at the dog and cat, wondering if it would be all right to leave them alone overnight.

_No. I better stay with them. Just so they won’t cause trouble. Or get into any._

Marco moved the dog off him and stood up. He quickly grabbed two small beds that Eren picked out and went back to the blanket. “Okay, you both sleep here,” Marco said as he moved the cat and the food it was eating to one of the small beds that had a striped pattern and a blanket which Marco made sure was over the tiny creature to keep it warm enough. He then pointed to the litter box that he had set up earlier, and looked at the dog, “And if possible, do your business there.” The puppy must have understood, because it instantly went there and sat. “Okay, glad we establish that.” He then went to make sure that the nightlight that the room had was on, and switched off the main light source. He then walked over to the bed in the room and went under the sheets. “Good night…”

When Marco was just about to drift off completely, he felt the sheets being tugged a bit. “Hmm…” He opened one eye slowly before both eyes were open, and he was wide awake. “WHO’S THERE?!” He sat up, looking around the room. No one was in sight… then he felt the sheets being dragged away, towards the floor. He looked over to the side where the sheets were being pulled. It was the puppy, sheets clamped in its small mouth, making Marco sigh in relief. “Don’t scare me like that, I thought you were someone…” He stopped mid sentence. He was about to say ‘trying to get into my bed’… but he didn’t want to.

The puppy released the blanket and pawed at the bed, whining a bit. “What’s wrong?” It then reached up to look at Marco, front paws on the covers. “… Wait… do you…” It looked at him pleadingly, as if asking to join him. “No, you can stay on the floor.” It whined again, a little louder this time. Marco quickly looked at where the kitten was sleeping, and saw that it had curled up in a ball, and was breathing. He then looked back at the dog, still looking at Marco.

“… Alright, but just this once.” The puppy’s ears immediately perked up, and it made a single jump and landed on the covers before trotting up to Marco and licked his face, making him laugh, “Hey, I’ll be fine! Cut that out!!” He they laid back down on the bed, the dog right next to him. “Hmm… I really should figure out a name for you… but I’ll worry about that tomorrow…” Marco then pulled the sheets back up, and pet the puppy as it snuggled closer,

“Good night…”

\--

_Marco was running down the sidewalk, trying not to hurt his arm, which was still in a sling. “I need to tell him… there!” He spotted Jean about to get into a car. “Jean!!” He yelled out as he waved his hands. It caught the boy’s attention and Jean was walking towards Marco._

_“What is it?”_

_Marco stopped to catch his breath when he approached Jean. When he managed to even his breathing, he looked at Jean directly. “Um… about you asking me to go out with you… I decided… I would love to…” He blushed as he spoke, still flustered about all of this._

_Jean stared at him and grabbed his hand. “R-really?!” When Marco nodded, Jean pulled him into an embrace. “… Thank you… for keeping your promise…”_

_Marco hugged him back. “No problem… He then felt Jean pull away a bit before leaning forward. Marco then felt something press against his mouth._

_Jean was kissing him. Marco felt his cheeks blush even more, barely believing that this was happening, and at a fast pace as well… Jean then pulled away, smirking at the freckled boy’s expression. “I’ll take you out on a date when I get back, okay?”_

_“… Yeah!”_

_“Remember, four days!” Jean than went back to the car, and Marco watched as it drove off._

\--

Marco stirred before opening his eyes, looking back at the clock. 11:41.

“… Just a dream…” Feeling too tired to think about it, Marco closed his eyes again and quickly fell asleep again.

-

Eren opened the door to the hotel room carefully, trying to mentally prepare himself for the worst. Took him half an hour to get back, and he saw the lights were on inside, so the group was back… it was already 6:00, so he hoped that they weren’t too tired and cranky. “I’m back. Sorry I couldn’t talk to you earlier Mikasa, my phone died on me… Levi tried calling me also…”

When he walked in, he saw everyone at the beds, just noticing him as he walked in. Mikasa walked up to him. “Where’s Marco?”

“Back at his place. We got a few things for the mutt and the cat, and I made sure he got there safely…” He studied her face, which had a serious look. “… What is it?”

“… Levi tried calling you earlier to tell you…”

“... Tell me… what?” He looked at everyone, wanting to know what Levi was trying to call him about.

Reiner stood up and spoke. “It’s Annie. She almost woke up.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, finally updated! Redid a few things when I noticed a few things in the fic weren't adding up - I did have a note saying that titans were known to the public, but then I realized that Marco would have realized what the giant actually was, so I took that out xP big dummy, that's me.
> 
> Well, I am seriously debating whether or not I'll put it back in somehow, because there is a future scene that I really wanna do, but it would work best if people were familiar with what shifters are. So, we have a new thing to wait upon. Yay.
> 
> The veridic on the dog's gender came down to 3 male to 2 female. To those who would have preferred female, I promise that there will be a female dog eventually. Oh, and the cat is black now. I succumbed to the feeling of halloween.
> 
> BTW, trigger warning that there is an abuse flashback. Proceed with caution.

Eren stood in the same exact spot for several seconds when he heard those words come out of Reiner’s mouth.

_It’s Annie. She almost woke up._

He reached for his forehead, trying to process it. “She… wait… almost woke up?”

Reiner approached Eren, a stern look on his face. “Levi said that around 3:15, her vitals started to act up when they were putting the feeding tube in. And then she started to flail around, so they had it removed, but she was unresponsive when it was.” He then ran his hand through his hair. “It seemed like her nervous system was finally recovering from the drug overdose.”

“Wait, what kind of drug was this?

“At first, we knew that there was one drug used that was originally intended for sedation during operations, but it can easily be overdosed and kill a person, and is usually expensive… But, Hanji ordered another tox screen today, and they found another kind of drug… It seems to continue depressing the nervous system long after the initial drug leaves the body, to the point where a person would eventually die within a year… a normal person anyway. According from what we heard, it’s very hard to pinpoint”

“… That would explain why she hasn’t woken up even though she’s a shifter…”

“They said that they were going to try identifying the drugs and the manufacturer, and why it was missed the first time. Moblit is trying to get the remaining drug out by injecting something that should counter it…”

“How long will that take?”

“They said about four to five days if they do it right…” Reiner stretched his neck. “We might go back to check on her when she does wake up…”

“All of us? But what about Marco?”

“We were thinking that you, Armin and Mikasa stay while Bert, Ymir, Krista and I go back to the hospital. And we’ll come back, possibly with Annie if she’s capable of leaving…”

Eren thought over it. It sounded reasonable. He then looked over at Mikasa. “Was there anything else Levi wanted to tell me?”

“Just that he wants you to call him, but it was something he had to talk to you in private.”

He let out a sigh, really hoping that Levi wasn’t in the middle of a cleaning frenzy. “Alright, but can I borrow your phone while mine charges? I’ll be outside in the back.”

She nodded and pulled hers out of her shirt pocket. “Here.”

“Thanks.” He quickly hooked his phone on the charger and went out. Finding the exit to the back of the hotel wasn’t too hard, and he was on the ground floor so it made things easier. When he was out, he opened Mikasa’s contacts and tapped on Levi’s number. The phone rang a few times before it was answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey Levi, sorry I missed your call, my phone died.”

There was a silence before Levi responded. “It’s fine. Did your sister and the others tell you about Leonhart?”

“Yeah… She will be okay, right?”

“From what we can tell so far, she isn’t going to die anytime soon, and the fact she almost woke up is promising as well… How is he?”

“Huh?”

Eren heard Levi sigh in annoyance, “Bodt. How is he?”

“Oh, Marco? He’s… he seems to be a good person… but… we all agree that he’s being abused…  Armin and Krista said that he probably has battered person syndrome, and might be developing Stockholm syndrome…” Eren then tried to work up the guts to say the next part. “The details you said you can’t discuss with me… they suggested that he was being abused… right?”

“… If you think so…”

Eren nodded. That was code for ‘yes’. “Are you sure that you can’t charge Jean with anything?”

“On Bodt’s case alone, not unless the actual victim asks for help or is induced into a coma via assault… but then there are complications whether or not I have the authority to investigate a civilian’s case… but if Jean had anything to do with what happened to Annie’s assault… that would change things… I would have to bring Marco in for questioning, and then I can oversee his case… if Marco wants me to. It all falls back to Marco’s decision.”

Eren then remembered about Marco possibly remembering what really happened when he found him, and wondered if he should ask Levi about it before Mikasa.

_No, I can’t just jump to assumptions so quickly… I also decided to talk to Mikasa about it first._

Deciding to stick to his decision from earlier, Eren finally spoke. “Fine…”

“… I’m sorry Eren. I would do anything to help, but my hands are tied, and if I tried to do anything that I’m not allowed to do, the case would just be thrown out.”

Eren let out a huff of air, trying to think over all of what Levi said. He didn’t want Marco’s case to be disregarded in court, but how was he going to get Marco to go against Jean if he was developing Stockholm syndrome? “… Hey… can I ask you how you would get him to testify?”

“… Earn his trust. Show him that Jean isn’t the only person for him, and that he doesn’t need to be with him. Help him validate himself. It won’t be easy, obviously, if he has battered person syndrome. But be supportive of him, overall. When he’s ready to trust you, he’ll tell you what’s happening.”

“… And afterwards?”

“… Stay as long as he needs help to heal. Longer if you want to be his friend.”

Eren nodded. “Thanks… that helps a bit, I think.”

“Good. But be careful not to force anything onto him…

Eren remembered accidentally triggering Marco’s panic attack at the museum earlier, knowing that he needed to make a big note on that. “I won’t…“

“Good… hold on a sec.” Levi’s voice was pulled away from the phone, and returned after a minute. “I need to go. I’ll call you brats again if anything happens.”

“Got it. Thanks again.”

“Stay safe.” And with that, Levi hung up.

“… Help him validate himself… be supportive overall…” Eren repeated those words over and over, trying to figure out the best way to do so.

He turned around and saw Mikasa coming out. “Guess you finished talking to Levi?”

“Yeah… so what brought you out?”

“… You told me earlier that there was something that you wanted my opinion about. What is it?”

_Okay, here we go._

“Uh… while we were at the museum… Marco noticed my body temperature.”

“… He did? How?”

“We held hands a few times…”

“Huh, that’s surprising. Not the handholding, him noticing just by that.”

Eren stayed quiet for a moment, baffled by Mikasa saying she wasn’t surprised that they held hands. “… I think he might recognize it…”

“What do you mean by that?”

Eren took a deep breath before continuing. “The night I found him… he held one of my fingers, when I was a titan… I think he might have lied to Levi about not remembering what happened, or thought that I was just some kind of hallucination from the drug in him.” He scratched his head. “I… I know it sounds crazy, but… it’s possible… right?”

Mikasa looked at him. “You’re serious.” She sighed and rubbed her head. “… Well… I think if I was in the same situation as him, I would also assume you would as hallucination when I finally got the drug out of my system.” Eren was going to reply when she interrupted him. “But I don’t think we have any proof that he does remember. It might just be subconscious though.”

Eren growled. She was right. “… If it is subconscious… do you think he might remember? Eventually I mean.”

“I dunno. I suggest that you don’t work up any hopes though.” She turned around. “Let’s just go back in now.”

“… Mikasa… I’m…” She stopped as Eren started talking again and turned to face him. “… I’m... planning to tell Marco.”

“… About what happened?”

“That… and why we came. Both for him and Jean… and what happened to Annie…” He paused before adding the next part. “Regardless of whether or not he remembers… I don’t want to hold this huge lie over him.”

Mikasa didn’t respond. “Are you sure you want him to know?”

“The truth, yes.”  Eren crossed his arms. “… But… I’m still worried how he’ll take it… especially learning that I was… that.”

She frowned, looking concerned. “… What does that mean?”

Eren remained quiet. “… Nothing. Let’s just go back in.” He brushed past her and opened the door, slipping inside the building.

-

Something soft tapped Marco’s nose, but he barely paid any attention. There were several more touches, starting to tap on the closed eyelid. “Ngghh…” Then Marco felt whatever it was hit his mouth. “Nnn, wha?” He opened his eyes and saw the kitten sitting on his chest, batting his face. When it saw that he woke up, it made its familiar chirping noise.

_Probably hungry._

Marco forced himself up and picked the cat off of him. He looked over at the clock to check the time, and read 6:43. “Oh god, you really are an early bird huh?” He lifted the cat up he spoke, the cat patting his face with its paws, placing one on his mouth and the other on his cheek. Marco couldn’t help but smile. He then heard the dog growl. Looking to his side, he saw that it was still asleep, its leg moving as if it was running.

_Should I wake it up?_

As if to answer his question, the kitten squirmed out of his hold and walked over to the dog, and bit its ear. The puppy rolled a bit, not the least affected. Shaking his head, Marco got out of bed and went to where he placed the food for both pets. He suddenly felt a familiar pain in his thighs, same as yesterday in the museum. He winced, but continued moving, deciding that painkillers would have to wait. He grabbed a can of wet food for the cat with the bottle of milk, and the kibble bag for the dog. He brought the food to the blanket and checked the cat’s bowl and saucer, both which were eaten clean. “Wow,” Marco looked back at the kitten on the sleeping puppy, “You really were hungry yesterday.”

Opening the wet food he currently had, he put all of it in the cat’s bowl. Just then he heard something jump down to the floor. He looked behind him and saw that the puppy now was awake and had jumped down, holding the kitten. It set the kitten down before trotting over to the kibble bag next to Marco and tried to open it. “Hey, wait a moment.” Marco picked the dog up from the bag and set it down before taking the bag and filled the dog’s bowl with food. When he removed the bag, the dog crawled over him and started eating. Marco then looked over at the cat and saw that it had started eating as well.

“I’ll be back,” He told the eating pets as he forced himself up, cringing at the pain. Making sure both were still busy eating, Marco opened the door and closed it. Walking over to the bathroom, he opened the door and, suddenly wondering if he should take a shower. He took one after his video chat with Jean the other day, but he walked around so much yesterday… “Better make it short,” He murmured to himself, and started talking of his clothes, leaving his necklace still on, and quickly took some painkillers before getting the shower started.

Stepping in the water, he jumped at the temperature. It was a little cold. Turning the knobs on the wall so that the water would be warmer, he examined the shower itself, still hardly believing the place. The bathroom, hardly believable in size, had both a large tub and glass shower, the shower itself was a large glass box, large enough so that Marco could lie down completely and still have room. Inside the glass included several shelves where bathing stuff was kept, and the showerhead was a large rectangle directly above him, streaming water straight down.

Marco reached for a sponge and bottle of soap, feeling the water’s temperature rise. Putting some of the soap on the sponge, he started scrubbing at his skin. It felt a little rougher than what he was used to… then he remembered that it was a different sponge from what he had before. The previous sponge was the one that he threw away before the move.

\--

_Marco felt his eyes slowly open, feeling his whole body ache everywhere. He saw Jean looking directly at him, sitting up. “Hey babe,” Jean cooed as he stroked Marco’s cheek, “You slept through the whole night. Are you feeling better?”_

_Marco tried to move, but felt pain shoot up his spine. “Ahh!!” He curled up defensively, hesitant to move. His mind was instantly filled with images of what happened to him, making him whimper._

_“Shh…” Jean held Marco’s face as Marco was trying to stay still, lowering his forehead to touch Marco’s. “It’s alright. I’m here.”_

_Marco nodded slowly, reaching for Jean’s face. “You… you are…”_

_Jean patted his face. “Hey, I’m just gonna check down there, to see how it’s doing. Bear with it, alright?” Jean then pulled the sheet covers that were on Marco down so that they were off. He then moved so that he could look at Marco’s torn entrance. Marco stayed quiet while Jean was examining him, amazed that the kindness from yesterday was still present. “Hmm. Better not do anything fun activities, but I think we need to clean it again.” Jean got off the bed and went to the side of the bed. “I’ll take you to the bathroom.”_

_He then picked Marco off the bed bridal style and carried him out of the room. When entering the bathroom, Jean brought Marco to the tub and started the water, placing Marco it when it was halfway full, adjusting him so that one leg was hanging out. Turning off the water, Jean reached for the sponge and applied some soap. “Keep both legs open.” With that, he started rubbing the sponge against Marco. Marco bit his lip, feeling the soap sting at the tear down there. “Just put up with it.” Nodding, Marco let Jean continue cleaning._

_Eventually, Jean stopped and set the sponge aside. “Okay, that’s enough. You better stay in bed for a while longer though.” He pulled Marco out of the tub and set him on the stool. “I’ll grab the towel.” When Jean left Marco alone, Marco looked over to where the sponge was sitting. He saw a faint trace of blood all over it. It was practically stainless before, but now… like him… it was soiled._

_“What is it?”_

_Marco looked at Jean who was putting the towel around him. “Nothing… I was just looking…”_

_Jean looked over to where Marco’s eyes were focused a while go. “… I’m probably gonna throw that out. I doubt either one of us could get the blood out.”_

_“Alright…” Marco tried to stand up, but stopped when he felt more pain._

_“Wait a sec, you should take some pain killers.” Jean opened the mirror cabinet they had and pulled out the asprin they had in there, popping out a few pills and kneeled down to Marco. “Here.” He held his hand up to Marco’s mouth, which was open and allowed the pills to enter. Swallowing them, Marco felt Jean pick him up again, and leaned into his chest, his eyelids drooping. “Mmm? Tired again?”_

_“A little…”_

_He heard Jean chuckle as he was carried back to the bedroom. When Jean set him on the bed, Jean removed the towel, using it to pat along Marco’s body so that he was completely dry. When he was done, he brought the sheets back up to cover Marco again. “Now,” Jean leaned down to kiss him, “Stay here for today, okay? I’ll bring you some food later.”_

_Marco nodded, feeling like he was about to cry. “Alright…”_

\--

Marco set the sponge down, thinking back to that day. He was so happy then when Jean was being nice, the same as the day before… He then remembered what Eren said back at the museum. That if he did something repeatedly on purpose that hurt him, then he shouldn’t just ignore it. Growling, Marco ran his hands through his hair, grabbing the shampoo and put some on. “Don’t start thinking like that Marco, he was just keeping you in line with the punishments.”

_In line for what? A few mistakes?_

He stopped scrubbing his hair, pondering. He admit that Jean’s punishments scared him, but that was all over now… right? He then thought about Reiner and Bertholdt, as well as Ymir and Krista. At least one partner did something to upset the other one, but their actions were easily forgiven. Unlike him and Jean. Rinsing the suds out of his hair, he wondered why Jean had just started acting kind again. He did like it, but… he was having a hard time figuring out what triggered the new behavior.

_Maybe something happened on the trip he was on before? But what? He’s stubborn, and hard to convince, so what could have happened?_

Not able to think of a good answer himself, he shut off the water, frustrated. “I better stop thinking about this.” He stepped out of the shower and started to dry himself off, catching sight of his reflection. The bite marks and hickies were still on his neck, same went for the scratch marks and bruises along the rest of his body.

_… Couldn’t he have been more gentle? Well, I guess it couldn’t be helped. I didn’t tell him to stop…_

Only because he was afraid how Jean would react if Marco told him what to do. Not wanting to think anymore about the subject, Marco quickly left the bathroom and headed to his room. Quickly searching for something clean to wear, he pulled out a shirt that was now a little big on him, due to loosing weight, and grabbed a small pair of gym shorts.

Making sure the waistband was tight enough, Marco headed back to the room where the pets were staying. Entering, he saw the cat grooming itself while the dog was still eating. “Hey guys, I’m back.” The puppy looked up and trotted over to Marco, who was sitting back down on the blanket. He giggled as the dog nuzzled against him. “Fff, silly puppy~” He stroked its fur, feeling some dirt and knots in it. Remembering that he had the cleaning stuff. “Hey, I think you should take a bath now, alright?” The dog stopped nuzzling and looked at Marco with terror in its eyes. “Would you prefer waiting longer then taking a longer bath?” The dog let out a small growl, giving a look similar to a pouting child. “C’mon, let’s get you to the bathroom.”

Standing up, Marco went over to the night table where the grooming stuff was. Grabbing the stuff he figured he would need, he started carrying the dog out, then wondered if it was okay washing the dog in his bathtub. He hesitated for a moment, worried about whether or not he will manage to clean the tub out enough. Not willing to risk anything, he decided that he better do it in the sink instead. It should be big enough. Entering the bathroom again, Marco closed the sink’s drain and got the water running. When it was full, he was going to put the dog in when it curled its tail, as if one more final plea to not get bathed. “Hey, let’s get this over with, okay buddy? I promise that the water’s warm.” Earning a nod after a moment, Marco lowered the dog in, pouring some water onto its head.

“Okay, let’s this over with.” Marco grabbed the shampoo for the dog and poured some onto his hand and began lathering the puppy. Within minutes, the dog became a huge bubble pile, which eventually sneezed, making some bubbles fly off. “Well, looks like this is a good brand,” Marco commented as he got ready to wash the shampoo out of the fur. He heard the bubbles growl at him, making him giggle. “Come on, after this we do brushing. Wanna get those knots out, right?” When most of the bubbles had disappeared, Marco picked up the brush he bought yesterday and started bringing it against the dog’s wet fur.

The dog let out a few growls as Marco worked on the knots, trying not to make the process too painful. “Don’t worry, after you, I’ll take care of the cat,” he assured as he finished with the upper part of the dog. Holding the dog up against him, Marco noticed that it didn’t have any knots on its belly, so he wouldn’t have anymore brushing to do… and noticed something else that he missed before.

“Oh, you’re a boy!” Marco didn’t really notice what the dog’s gender was up until now, but before he had some thoughts of it as a boy. Not that he actually was expecting to be right. The dog looked at him worried, as if expecting disappointment.

_… Maybe he was abandoned because his gender?_

He remembered that when he was younger, his mother told him that sometimes owners of puppy mills would throw out ones that weren’t the gender that was demanded from customers. It happened to both female and male dogs. That would easily explain his aggressiveness towards people… He scratched his ear, smiling at him. “Hey, it’s okay, I don’t mind. I don’t think your gender should make a difference on how you should be treated,” Marco assured him. In response, the dog’s ears perked up, and he reached up to lick his face in thanks.

Marco smiled at him. “Well, I think we’re done with cleaning you for today,” He said as he picked the puppy up and unplugged the sink so the water could drain out. Setting the puppy down for a moment, he grabbed a small towel and started to dry him off. “Didn’t take that long, did it?” The puppy let out a small whine, making him giggle a bit. Making sure he had the brush so he could brush the cat a bit as well, he carried the puppy in his arms back to the room.

When setting him down on the green blanket, Marco went over to the kitten, which was laying down, taking a break from eating. It had some matted fur, but only in a few places. Trying his best not to hurt it, Marco brushed the black ball, finally getting the fur fixed. Finished, he petted its small head as it squeaked at him. “Now that I think about it, I’m not sure what your gender is either…” Moving back a bit, Marco lifted its tail up to take a look. The cat seemed old enough that gender could be distinguished. Looking, Marco saw that the cat was female. “Well, that makes one boy and one girl,” he concluded as he let go of the tail.

“Now I just need to figure out what to call you guys…” The dog ran over to him, and placing his head down against Marco’s leg. “Hmmm,” He crossed his arms, trying to think of something, “What would be good names?” He glanced over to the side and saw his phone on the stand where the lamp was.

_Wait, I should probably talk about names with Eren…_

Moving the dog off and standing up quickly, Marco grabbed his phone and sat back down with the pets. “Uh, will he be awake by now?” He looked at the clock on his phone and saw that it was 7:40. “Doubt it,” He said as he looked at his phone. But he could just leave a message though, right?

-

Mikasa opened the hotel’s front door as she led Bertholdt and Armin back in, all three carrying breakfast. “We could have gone back to the place where we ate yesterday,” Armin said as he adjusted the juice he was holding.

“And make Reiner pay again? No,” Mikasa said firmly. Armin pouted, clearly disappointed. She looked over at Bertholdt, who didn’t look all that great. “You had trouble sleeping?”

Bertholdt sighed. “Yeah. Kept thinking about the whole Annie thing.” Mikasa nodded. From what she understood, after Bertholdt was abandoned by his folks, Annie’s family took him in. So they were basically brother and sister. Like her and Eren. If it was Eren stuck in Annie’s place, Mikasa wasn’t sure if she would be able to bear the situation.

Unlocking the hotel door, the three of them went in. Everyone else was still asleep. Looking at the bed where Eren was supposed to be, she saw that he had rolled off onto the floor instead, with the sheets too. Setting the food she was carrying down on the table in the room, she went over to where Eren was. He was doing his ‘hard thoughts before bed’ face that he would make when he was asleep and was thinking about something heavy.

Probably about whether or not Marco actually remembered the first time the two of them met.

Pulling him back up to the top of the bed, she heard his phone go off. “I got it,” Armin chirped as he went over to where Eren’s phone was charging. Picking it up, he smiled one of his infamous Cheshire cat grins. “Weeelllll, look at that, it’s Dots~” He pressed the answer button, ignoring Bertholdt’s shaking head. “Hey Marco.”

“Oh, Armin! Hi!” Marco’s voice chirped on the phone, which Armin had set to speaker, setting the volume low enough not to wake anyone. “Uh, is Eren there?”

“Physically, yes. In sprit, anything but,” Armin answered as he glanced over to the sleeping boy.

“Oh… uh, well then,” Marco sounded embarrassed, “I guess I’ll call back in a few hours…”

“What did you want to talk to him about?” Armin asked.

“Uh, I was… forget it, I shouldn’t have called… I’m sorry for waking you up.”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t wake anyone up. I was already up getting breakfast with Mikasa and Bertholdt. We just came back in.”

 Just then, there was a high-pitched sound from the other end. “Oof, sorry, that was the cat… she just wanted to say hi I guess?”

“Oh, it’s a girl?”

“Yeah, and it turns out the dog is a boy.” There was some background noise, and the sound of Marco grunting. “Sorry, they’re crawling all over me right now.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

There was a bit more grunting before Marco replied. “N-nah, I go-Ah!” There was a sudden yelp before a faint moan, as if in pain, alarming Mikasa and Bertholdt.

Mikasa took the phone from Armin. “Are you okay?!”

“M-mikasa? I-I’m fine…” She heard some rustling in the other end of the phone. “The cat just accidentally dug her claws into me… I-I’m fine… Didn’t mean to get loud…” There was a faint ‘ow’ following his excuse. She wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, but there was no way to tell if he was lying either. And she wasn’t in the position of accusing him of lying.

“Okay, cats are dangerous,” She said jokingly, trying to lighten things up. She then pressed the speaker button, turning it off. Deciding that it would be better to talk to him in private, she headed back out to the hallway, figuring that she could continue talking in the back of the hotel.

Reaching the back door, she continued talking to him as she opened it up. “Eren told us that you two got some things for the cat and dog before making sure you got home, right? He didn’t just dump the stuff before leaving, did he?”

“N-no, your brother was very helpful,” Marco answered. “He actually carried most of the stuff because I passed out…” He gave a small chuckle. “Silly me…”

“… You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, totally fine… Hey, hey, quit climbing that!!” She then heard something drop, and his voice faded from the phone.

-

“Bad kitty!” Marco watched as the cat jumped on top of the night table in the room, batting at the tassels that hung from the lamp. “No, no, no, no,” Marco said as he picked her up. He then felt a small throb from one of the bite marks on his neck. When he was talking to Armin with the cat crawling on him, she accidentally pressed its hind paws down onto the bite mark that was now a bit sore again.

He couldn’t blame the kitty though, she wouldn’t have known better. Carrying her back to the blanket, he saw the dog sniffing at Marco’s phone, which Marco had dropped when he saw the cat trying to jump onto the table. Setting the cat back down, he picked the phone back up, hoping that he didn’t insult Mikasa by dropping the conversation. “Sorry about that!!”

“It’s fine. Are you sure you don’t need anymore help with those two?”

Relieved by the fact she didn’t sound mad, he responded, “Nah, shouldn’t…” He then heard the dog growling, as if playing with something. Looking down, he saw that it was tugging at the bed sheets like last night, taking them off the bed. “Ah! Bad boy!” Marco went over to the dog and picked him up, making him drop the sheets.

“Marco? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just the dog being silly,” Marco sad as the puppy snuggled against him.

_I should get some of his toys out, then take him on a walk…_

“Okay… you said you wanted to talk to Eren earlier?”

“Uh, yeah. I was trying to think of some names for these two, but I thought that Eren or someone else should have a say. I’m not going to be the one hanging on to them forever…”

“… You could keep them if you want, none of us would mind if-”

“No, no, I can’t,” Marco quickly interrupted. He looked down at the dog, who was giving him a sad face. Marco would like to keep both of them, but as he said before, he knew Jean would say no. “My boyfriend hates pets.”

“… Well, if you insist,” Mikasa replied. “But if you want to stay in touch or just check in on them later on, then feel free to just call… if you want, we could exchange Skype addresses. That good?”

Marco blinked at the offer. This was the first time anyone had asked for his Skype number in a long time. He had the numbers of some classmates before, but he lost contact with them after he started going out with Jean. “Uh… well… can I think about it? I would like to, but I just want to make sure it’s okay with my boyfriend, since we share the same one.”

“… Yeah, no problem.”

“Great.” Marco felt the dog rest his head down onto the freckled boy’s neck, before licking his ears a bit. “Pfft, no, cut that out,” Marco told the puppy before setting him back down onto the blanket.

“Dog being a little too restless?”

“Y-yeah, a little,” Marco answered her. “I’ll probably be taking him for a walk in an hour or so.”

“Do you want to meet up with us in the park later, and we can try training the dog together, and come up with a name?”

“Uh… are you sure? I already gave you guys enough trouble yesterday…”

“Trust me, Eren is the most trouble I deal with, you are no where as bad as he is. And he gives people more trouble than anyone I know.” After stopping for a while, she added something else. “Plus, he and that dog need to learn to get along.”

Marco pressed his lips together. He was afraid he would act weird, like yesterday. But… he would like to spend more time with Eren. “… Alright. Should I bring the cat too?”

“Yeah, no problem. What time do you want to meet up?”

“I think I’ll be at the park some time after 9. Maybe at the same spot we met yesterday?”

“Okay then, I’ll tell the others and see you then.”

“Okay, bye then.”

“Bye.”

He then heard the phone bleep, indicating that she hung up. He looked at his phone and saw that it was 8:02. “Mmm, still have about an hour before I can go anywhere,” Marco muttered to himself, and put the phone into his short’s pocket. He then heard the dog whine, and Marco saw that the kitten was playing with his tail, much to the dog’s displeasure. “Tshh, I swear, you two are just too funny,” Marco laughed. Going over to where some of the bags from yesterday sat untouched, Marco searched them until he found the toy mice and one of the squeaky toys that was shaped like an egg, Marco sat back down with the pets.

“Here you go.” He set the toys down, which was quickly noticed by the cat. She immediately went for the mice, trapping one in her paws and started flinging it around. The dog looked at the squeaky toy, then at Marco, as if unsure what to do with it. Deciding to help, Marco grabbed it and squeezed it, making it squeak. When he saw the dog’s head perk in interest, Marco made the toy squeak several more times. With that, the dog came running over and took the toy into his mouth, gnawing the thing and making noise.

Seeing that the two were now occupied, Marco figured he could leave them alone for a while. Leaving the room and entering the living room, Marco heard his phone ring from an incoming call. Pulling it out again, he saw Jean’s number. Odd, he hardly was ever awake around this time. He instantly pressed the answer button. “Jean! Hi, I didn’t think you would call this early!”

“Mmm, blame work. Had to get an early start on the day.”

“Must be a lot, huh?” He paused, then decided to ask something. “… Are you sure that you’re going to be finishing the trip early? I don’t want you to push yourself to hard just to make it back sooner.”

“I will be back in at least two days Marco,” Jean growled, instantly making Marco regret asking him about work. “Why the hell are you so concerned when I make it back?”

Marco began panicking, trying to correct himself. “N-no, that’s not it, I just don’t want you pushing yourself more than you-”

“I decide how much I work on my job, understand?!”

Marco flinched at Jean’s voice suddenly becoming sharp. It was the same voice he used when Marco broke a rule, and made Jean mad. “I’m sorry,” Marco automatically said, “I’m sorry, I’m just concerned, please Jean, I’m sorry.”

There was no response for a while, alarming Marco. Finally, he heard a grunt from Jean. “Whatever… anyway, I’m calling to let you know I may not be able to video chat with you tonight. But I’ll call you around five anyway. Just to let you know. And I’ll be texting you later in the evening.”

“Alright, I understand,” Marco quickly replied, hoping that it was just himself mistaking Jean’s tone of voice.

“Bye. Don’t go attracting people and getting into trouble, like getting kidnapped. Unlike yesterday.” Before Marco realized what Jean said, Jean ended the call.

“… Wh… what did he mean by…” Marco felt his stomach drop when he finally processed the last thing Jean told him. His mind suddenly went back to what happened yesterday at the museum. When he was cornered by the man, and was only able to get away thanks to Eren. Jean asking if he saw the person there.

He then realized why Jean was so mad at him. It was because he lied about seeing him.

“… No,” Marco grabbed his necklace, trying to reassure himself, “No, that can’t be… there’s no way Jean could have found out…”

_Did the police already release a statement? Maybe the man gave a description of me and it was released to the press?_

Realizing that it was possible Jean figured out from the news, Marco ran to his bedroom and to the computer. Turning it on, he quickly opened the browser. As soon as it was up, Marco typed in ‘molester in interior’s history museum arrested’, setting the search engine to find results within 24 hours. Clicking search, it brought up several results. Swallowing, Marco clicked on the latest report.

_Yesterday around 11:00, in the Interior’s History Museum, a serial rapist and human trafficker was arrested after a failed attempt of kidnapping another victim. The man, named Evan Trump, age 23 years old, has been suspected of involvement in over 113 cases of kidnaping, rape, molestation, and human trafficking, most of them involving underage children. Reports have not yet revealed if there have been any international cases involving trafficking as well. There is no evidence yet as of who knocked him out or the situation leading up to it, but families of Trump’s victims are already offering rewards to the person who brought Trump to justice._

Marco stopped reading there. “… No evidence… but how did…” Going back to the search page, Marco clicked on several other reports, thinking that maybe the one he just read left out a few things.

After reading all of the reports, articles, and viewing all of the news videos, he still couldn’t find anything about the police mentioning Evan’s describing anything. “… How…” Marco looked at the screen, confused. “How could Jean fig…” He took a few steps back, now feeling scared.

Jean figured out Marco lied to him. He didn’t know how, but Jean did. “... Oh god, he’s probably furious with me…” Marco held his arms together. “Is… is he going to punish me when he gets back?” He bumped into the bed, still standing.

_Of course he’s going to._

“No, he-he wouldn’t!” He grabbed his head with both hands as he shrieked, “He’s getting better!”

_You lied to him. You lied to him, your boyfriend. Do you think he will let this slip past him? No. You remember what happened when you lied to him before._

“No!” Marco held his head as he tried to flush out those thoughts. “I don’t want it!!” He then felt his knees give away, bracing his hands in front of him. He tried to take deep breaths, but wasn’t able to. “Please, please no!” Scrambling his hands on the floor in an effort to get up, images started presenting themselves to him. “N… no…” As soon as he was up, he tried to run out of the room. He then felt a sudden pain in his stomach. “Ah!” He collapsed there, curled into a ball from the pain, whimpering as he was suffering another memory.

Marco held himself as he felt his stomach continue to hurt. “… Let me out… please.”

\--

_Marco quickly ran into the house, hoping that he wouldn’t be caught coming in. Two weeks ago, he and Jean had finally gotten serious about their relationship. Marco was hoping that Jean would quit acting weird and just go back to the way it was when they were dating before then. As soon as the door was closed, he proceeded to head to the bedroom. When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw Jean at the door, glaring at him. Marco flinched at the sight. “J-Jean…”_

_“You lied Marco. You told me you were going to the bookstore. From 2 to 8.” Jean came closer. “I went over there around four, to check on you. You weren’t there. When I described you to the employees, they said you left around 3. So…” Jean was barely a few inches from him now, “Where were you really?”_

_“… I went to a party one of my classmates had. I agreed to meet them at the bookstore.”_

_As soon as the words slipped out of Marco’s mouth, he felt a swift slap. “WHY THE HELL DID YOU LIE?!”_

_“Please, let me explain-” Marco was cut off by Jean punching him, making him stumble. Jean then grabbed his arm and dragged him to the bedroom. Marco instantly flailed, trying to escape Jean’s hold. “No! Please!!”_

_“SHUT UP!!” Jean pulled Marco in before throwing him onto the floor. Just as Marco was pushing himself up, Jean delivered a swift kick to his ribs. “HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME!!” Marco curled defensively as the kicking continued, trying to shield his face that was already sore._

_“Stop it, it hurts!!”_

_“HURTS? WANT TO KNOW WHAT HURTS MARCO?! WHEN YOUR BOYFRIEND TELLS YOU A COMPLETE LIE, FOR NO FUCKING APPARENT REASON!!” After a few more kicks, Jean picked Marco up. “You’re planning in leaving, aren’t you?”_

_“No, no, that’s not it-”_

_“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOU!! LIAR!” Jean squeezed Marco’s arm as he yelled. “YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME! YOU PROMISED TO STAY WITH ME, AS LONG AS I WANT!!” Jean then threw Marco to the foot of the bed. Marco landed on his arm, suddenly feeling a sharp pain._

_“Ah!!” Reaching to touch the upper part, he felt the pain flare even more. It must have been fractured._

_He was expecting Jean to continue beating him, but instead heard Jean as he headed to the door. “The next time you go anywhere without my permission, you won’t be going anywhere for a long time. Be glad that it’s just the bedroom.” With that, he closed the door, and Marco heard the outside lock click._

_“No!” Marco tried to stand up, but found that it hurt too much to move. “Ow!!” He stayed on the floor, holding his broken arm as he started crying from the pain._

\--

Marco eventually found himself staring blankly into space, or more specifically, at the wall. After a minute or so, he came out of his daze, finally pushing himself up, and recalled what happened. He remembered talking to Jean… then Jean saying something that suggested he found out Marco lied to him…

Marco sighed, realizing he must have had another breakdown. “Guess I should take the flu medication again…” After he stood back up and went for the door, his stomach let out a growl, and Marco felt pain from his stomach again, realizing it was a cramp. “Ngg!!” He braced himself against doorframe, holding his abdomen, hoping that the pain would end quickly. After half a minute, he forced himself to go out, the pain slightly subsiding. “Dammit, cold’s going to be worse than I though…”

Finally making it to the bathroom for the third time that day, Marco fished out the cold medicine and poured the syrupy substance into the small measuring cup before swallowing some.

He checked his phone and saw that it was 8:32. Marco shuffled a bit, wondering if he should just forget about meeting the others today. He looked up at his reflection, and took a long look at his face, ignoring the bruises on his neck. He looked pale, unattractively pale. “Not sure if I wanna be seen like this…”  But, he already agreed with Mikasa, and he really wanted to come up with names for the two pets. Plus, he wanted to see Eren again.

He then felt another stomach cramp, making him wince. “Oww…” He wondered if he should take any more pain killers for the cramps, but decided against it, since the pill bottle said to take each dosage every 8 hours.”… Maybe I just need to drink some water… or tea… tea might be better…”

He then realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday’s lunch.

_That’s fine though… I ate a lot anyway._

Leaving the bathroom, he headed to the kitchen get the tea ready, still having a throbbing feeling in his guts.

-

Jean watched as Nathan chatted on the phone with one of their coworkers, asking about the recent pickings they sent out. Jean and the others started work around 3 yesterday, shipping out the catch of the night before and waited for the next few vans to come. They would fill the vans up with pickings then, and since the client requested it, prepare them. The client asked for the pickings to be dressed in specific outfits before being sent over. So it took all night to get them ready. In this scenario, they would ship as many out as possible before 8, when rush hour started, then resume work when the vans came back for the remaining pickings.

The last van yesterday was sent off around 5, and Jean realized he wouldn’t have time to video chat with Marco if he was going to haul in some flesh. So he called him up to tell him not to worry.

Plus there was the fact he was still digging though the different cameras at the museum to trace all of his steps, which made him resort to leaving the computer last night to continue decrypting the videos from the time he arrived to the time he left.

Earlier, Jean had tried to find any social network page for this ‘Eren Jaeger’ guy, but nothing came up. Nothing public anyway. So he still didn’t have proof that this Jaeger guy was the same guy he saw with Marco. He figured that now he would have to find as many shots of him on the museum cameras before running a search for similar faces on the Internet.

He managed to get another tape onto his hand earlier though. It was Jaeger pulling Marco down one of the exhibits. The time stamp showed that it happened several minutes before the first video Jean saw.

Jean knew one thing now. Marco lied to him. About being by himself at the museum, and seeing Trump. He would have to punish Marco when he came back…

_Just when I thought I finally got the idiot thinking right._

The call to Marco earlier was so that he’ll make sure Marco will know that he will be checking in on him later today by texting. How dare he tried telling Jean to take time off of work? Idiot doesn’t know anything.

“Someone looks pissed.” Nathan finished his call and was looking over at Jean.

“Marco’s been getting out of line again.”

“Damn, after all our hard work? That’s a shame.” After a while, Nathan added something else. “… That’s not the only thing pissing you of though.”

Jean growled. “He’s been hanging out with some Jaeger guy. I tried info about him online, but nothing showed. And he’s around the teen years, so it’s not the ‘old men don’t work tech’ thing.”

“Why are you so interested?”

Jean stayed quiet for a while. He figured that after he punished Marco, he might as well make Jaeger suffer a bit as well. And Nathan was one of the best people to help him with that kind of stuff. “… Lemme just say, I think he might make a fine price.”

Nathan blinked before leaning further in, onto what Jean was implying. “I’m listening.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is another double chapter update. I was surprised how long this new update was and I had to split into them.  
> Still trying to decide on the stance on whether or not public has any ideas about shifters or not. So, don't be surprised if there are some changes later on. I'm only half awake right now, so, it'll take a while.  
> =  
> Sorry about any grammar errors, I had to do some editing on mobile!  
> BTW, I want as many suggestions for names for the pets as possible. Someone already suggested 'Nugget' or "lil man', but if you have any ideas, it would be helpful!

“Phew, feel better now,” Marco told himself as he finished his tea. He ended up making at least four servings, finishing when his stomach stopped hurting. Standing up from the table, he took the mug he used to the sink and quickly washed it before putting it away. Leaving the kitchen, he looked out the patio glass door that was in the living room. The sky wasn’t clear like the day before. It was rather cloudy, and the thermometer said it was cooler too. “Mmm, should I go out? I mean, I need to walk the dog, but I’m still not sure if I should see Eren and the others today…”

Running his hands through his hair, he looked over at the clock on the wall. 8:52. “… Either way, I better get the dog ready for the walk.” Marco quickly headed back to his bedroom to put on something warmer. He quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a jacket with a hood. The Jacket would be able to cover his neck, so he didn’t need the scarf again today.

Heading back to where the pets where, he opened the door and saw the cat back on the table, playing with the lamp’s tassles. “Ahh!” He quickly ran over and picked her up. “Guess I’ll need to bring you along. You’ll fit into one of my pockets, so that will make thing easier,” Marco told the cat as it squeaked at him. Setting the cat down on the bed, he quickly got the leash and kneeled down next to the dog, who was laying on his side, squeaky toy egg in mouth. “Hey, wanna go for a walk today?” The dog immediately sat up, his tail wagging, and let go of the egg as it started panting in excitement.

Marco then wanted to try something out. “Want to take a bath?” The dog’s tail stopped wagging and he turned away. “Want to go for a walk?” The puppy turned back, panting and wagging his tail again. “Want a bath?” Once again, the dog turned away “Want to go for a walk?” Again, the dog turned to face Marco, wagging his tail. “Okay, walk it is. And we’ll bring a toy too.” Quickly attaching the leash to the dog’s collar, Marco picked the cat up and placed her into the breast pocket of his jacket, letting her poke her head out. He quickly went to the bags and pulled out the rope knot, quickly shoving into one of his pockets. “Alright, we’re good to go.” Marco led the dog out of the room and to the front door. “I really hope I won’t be to weird today.”

-

“EREN YOU DICK!!” Bertholdt wathed as Ymir practically roared at Eren, who was sitting on the forest floor, stuck in his titan form. Mikasa had told the group, after they woke up, that they would be meeting in the park with Marco. After having breakfast, they all headed to the park, just so they could be sure to meet with him. When they were over there, Eren decided to take a look in the woods that were near by. When he was over there, he was trying to climb a tree accidentally fell and hit his forehead, and had somehow triggered a transformation.

Ymir continued venting at Eren, who was apparently not listening, and was twitching his ears, which birds were settling down on. Eren wasn’t exactly able to focus on her, which wasn’t unusual. There would be moments when Eren transformed, but he wouldn’t have a total grip of himself. He would make… bad choices. Or at least choices without really understanding the consequences, like a child.

“Well,” Bertholdt looked over at Reiner, who crossed his arms as he spoke, “This is wonderful.”

“We just need to keep Eren over here until we can get him out,” Bertholdt reminded him as he looked back at Mikasa, who was climbing a medium sized tree so she could get up to Eren’s neck. Just then, Eren’s head looked in the direction of the park, ears perking up. “Eren, what is it?” Eren stood up, and started walking in the direction he was looking in, all the birds finally flying off him.

Everyone was instantly alarmed. “No!!” Armin ran into Eren’s path, and was thankfully noticed, and not stepped on by Eren. “Eren, what it someone sees you?!”

Eren pointed into the direction he wanted to go in, and tried to say something, which he was having trouble doing in his current form. “Aahh! Auhh!!”

Ymir took a branch on the ground and threw it at the titan. “Shut it stupid!! Someone will hear you!!”

Bertholdt went closer to the edge of the woods to see what Eren could possibly be pointing. In the distance, he saw Marco entering the park, with the dog on a leash. “Ooh…” Bertholdt looked back at everyone else, and pointed in the direction Marco was, “We have a problem?”

Ymir frowned. “What?” She came up to where Bertholdt was standing, and saw what he saw. “Shit, the kid!!”

Krista, who was trying to help Armin keep Eren back, looked at them. “Marco?!”

Eren nodded, waving his hands, probably at Marco. “Auh! Auh!!” He stepped over the short blondes, heading in the direction where Marco was.

“No!!” Armin tried to get back in front of Eren, but Eren was too fast for him.

Ymir growled as Eren drew closer. “Oh, that’s it punk!” She went towards Eren, raised her wrist to her mouth, signaling Bertholdt to get a bit further. As soon as he broke into a run to the right, she bit down. There was a sudden explosion, which was thankfully covered by the trees, and Ymir’s titan stood in her place. Ymir started climbing up Eren’s leg, his upper body, and finally onto his face, covering his mouth. Eren tried to yell at her, but Ymir kept his mouth sealed. She then tore out of her titan body half way, so that she could still manipulate the body but could talk clearly. “Mikasa, hurry up!!”

“It’s a little hard to get to him now with the height difference!” Mikasa snapped back from 35 feet below the target point. Eren whined, starting to stumble around. He then took off further into the woods, taking a groaning Ymir with him. “Eren!!” She jumped down from the tree, landing on her feet. She then turned to Reiner. “Reiner, c’mon, we need to go after him.” She then looked at everyone else. “You guys distract Marco. Say… Eren had to take a leak, and he chased after a squirrel that took his hotel key.”

Reiner looked at Mikasa. “Hotel key?”

“Have a better idea?”

Bertholdt watched as his boyfriend sighed. “… No.”

“Okay, so let’s go.” Reiner sighed as he started in the direction Eren fled in. He bit his hand and shifted into his titan form. He held his hand down for Mikasa to get on, and started running.

Armin watched, then he started to walk quickly towards the open field of the park with Krista. “Okay, let’s go.” Bertholdt nodded in agreement, hoping everything would be easy for Reiner. As they exited the forest, Armin broke into a dash in the direction Marco was. “Hey! Marco!!”

Marco looked up from the dog and saw Armin running towards him. “Armin! Hey, I uh,” He shuffled nervously, “I’m sorry if I kept you guys waiting.”

“Nah, it’s gonna be Eren who’ll keep us waiting for a while,” Armin replied shrugging.

Marci tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say that he needed to go do some business when we got here, and while he was preoccupied, his hotel key fell out of his pocket. Before he could pick it up, a squirrel must have thought it would be a wonderful accessory to a nest. Simply put, Eren took after it, and everyone else went after him.”

“… Oh.” Marco looked amazed by the story, but somehow bought it. Bertholdt sighed mentally at the miracle. He then heard noise from the forest. To the regular person, it would have been taken as a tree falling down. But to Bertholdt, it meant that Reiner and Eren were squabbling as titans.

Armin must have noticed, because next thing he was doing was chatting Marco up to keep him distracted. “So, these two are really restless, huh? Getting you to wake up so early.” He pointed at the kitten, who was hitching a ride in Marco’s front jacket pocket. It chirped at the finger and tried to bite it. “Dawww, who’s a widdle cutie here,” Armin cooed at the kitten.

“A ha, yeah, they are…”

There was some more noise in the woods, prompting Berthold to look back nervously. He saw Eren’s hands waving over the treetops, before suddenly going down. Reiner must have pulled Eren completely down or something. Bertholdt felt himself start to sweat, hoping that some kind of miracle will happen and Eren would snap out of it. He looked back at Marco, who wasn’t looking at the woods, thank god.

Armin was still wiggling his finger in the cat’s field of vision, watching as its head swerved around. “So, the cat’s a girl, and the dog’s a boy?”

“Yeah, I just found out this morning,” Marco answered as he watched the kitten carefully.

Krista kneeled down to the dog, which took a few steps back. He wasn’t snarling at her, unlike yesterday towards… well, everyone except the cat and Marco. “Hi, you feeling good?” She was about to reach out to pet him when a small growl came from him.

“Hey,” Marco immediately said, “You be nice. She just wants to pet you.” The dog looked up, stopped growling and let out a whine, and folded his ears down, as if saying ‘But Mom~’. Marco bent down and nudged him closer to Krista. “C’mon, you can do this.” The puppy hesitated for a moment, but took a step closer to Krista.

“Aw, you really love Marco, huh?” Krista asked the puppy as she started petting him. “Oh, did you brush him?”

“Yeah, and I gave him a bath too. He didn’t enjoy it much though.” The dog looked up at the freckled boy and growled at him. Marco chuckled at him in return. “That’s right, I made you a big pile of bubbles today,” Marco said teasingly.

“Wow,” Armin looked at the dog, “He even acts like Eren when it comes to baths.”

“Really?”

“Yep,” Armin said cheerfully, “There are times where we have to force him into the bathtub if he’s gone several days without showering.” That’s true.

Marco looked at the dog amusingly. “Hmm, maybe we might have to name you ‘Eren Jr.’, huh?” The dog looked at Marco with wide eyes of dissaproval and shook his head. “No? Okay, we’ll try to think of something else then.”

“We could call him ‘Dinner Time’ for an experiment, and see if any other dogs try to eat him when we call his name,” Armin suggested calmly.

Marco looked at Armin with horror. “No! That’s horrible!”

“The name or the concept of why?”

“What do you think?!”

Armin looked over at Berholdt. “I think it’s possible you two are related,” he stated as he pointed at Marco.

Bertholdt looked back at the shorter boy. “Ah, what?!”

“The wide eyes and the expression of ‘no’, it’s basically a trade mark of yours. Especially when Reiner is going to do something stupid,” Armin told him, “Marco has similar reactions too, so it would suggest a relationship of some kind.” He looked over at Marco. “Are you sure you aren’t related to any Fubars?”

Marco bit his lower lip. “Uh, if I was, then I wouldn’t know. Neither one of my parents had any siblings, and I don’t have any grandparents either, so, I don’t have anyone to ask.” He scratched his head as he replied to Armin’s question. “…  But, I’m sure we can do a DNA test,” Marco added after pausing. Bertholdt wasn’t sure if that was just a joke, or if Marco meant it. Just then, the cat was trying to climb out of Marco’s pocket. “Hey, where are you going?”

The cat looked over at Bertholdt and chirped at him, before trying to jump over. She fell short of her target and was plummeting to the ground, saved when Bertholdt somehow managed to catch her at the last minute. “Whoa!!” Lifting her up, he muttered, “Sheesh, what’s with you?” He was going to hand the kitten back to Marco when she looked at him and started purring, nuzzling his hand. “Uh…” He looked at everyone, hoping someone would intervene.

Marco smiled at him. “I guess she likes you.”

Bertholdt groaned, “I guess…”

“… You told me yesterday that you have three cats at home, right?”

That’s right, when they were in the restaurant, he and Marco got into a conversation about cats. His adoptive family, the Leonharts, had a total of thee cats, one girl and two boys. “Y-yeah…”

“How old are they?”

“One is almost 5 years old, the other two are 5 months old.”

“Did you get them recently?”

“No. Not me. The first one was for my younger siblings. The other two… the first cat adopted them.” His adopted younger siblings, Taylor and Jordan, had practically begged their parents to get a kitten, and their wish was granted. The cat they got, which the family had named Queen Anne, after Annie, had developed a habit of going out and bringing presents. Unlike most cats who would bring presents, she was nice enough to bring things that were alive. A little battered up, possibly needing to spend a few days in recovery at the vet, but alive. Usually. For there have been plenty of times Bertholdt woke up with a dead rodent in his bed, and Queen Anne looking at him, as if expecting him to eat it.

Around 5 months ago, she had brought back two small, barely alive kittens, and started taking care of them as if they were hers, and they were eventually nursed to full health. It was a nice change, knowing she wasn’t intending on having either one as a war trophy.

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Marco commented. “I didn’t know cats do that.”

“Neither did I,” Bertholdt muttered. Just then, he felt the kitten nibble his hands. He let out a small sigh, familiar with the sensation. He then heard a groaning sound from the forest, which the dog apparently heard as well, turning his head in the direction of the sound. Praying that it was just Reiner finally getting Eren out of his titan form, he tried to distract Marco a bit. “D-did you ever have cats?”

“No, not in my entire life.” Looking to the side, he quickly added, “One did climb into my room when I was four. I thought it was a gift from the tooth fairy. It turned out it was a neighbor’s cat, and my mom returned it.”

“That would be one weird tooth fairy gift,” Armin said as he tried poking the dog. “Then again, I asked for a horror movie on my Christmas list, so who am I to talk?”

Marco looked at Armin with a shocked face. “Uh, horror movie?”

“Yeah, when I was eleven. It was one of those really gory ones too. Have you ever watched a horror movie?”

“No, never.”

“Mmm, that’s too bad. I think it’s fun to point out the stupidity in them.” He looked up at the direction of the forest. “I guess the squirrel retrieval is taking longer than planned.”

Bertholdt didn’t say anything. He just hoped that Eren’s face hadn’t started melting off.

-

Eren wailed as Reiner dragged him down to the ground, Ymir still clinging to his face, muffling him. He tried to wave to Dots just now, but wasn’t seen.

**Dots!! Let me see him!!**

He wanted to see Dots, see his brown eyes and freckled face. Wanted to talk to him, the calming voice. Wanted to be with him, the kind person. Dots was a good person, so why wouldn’t they let him go see him? He felt Reiner bite his neck.

**Let me… need to keep him safe!!**

Eren felt his human body being torn out of the larger mass of flesh. “… I… Dots…” He stood there for a moment, brain completely blank before it started up again.

_… What am I doing here?_

Looking up, he saw Reiner standing over him in his titan form, flesh in between his teeth. He looked back to the front and saw Ymir pulling herself out of her titan form. She then started climbing his fallen titan, walked up to him, and hit him on the head. “OW! What was that for?!”

“For trying to run out to an open area as a titan, in front of Marco!!”

There was no words spoken after that, the only sound being the smoldering of titan bodies, as well as Reiner getting out of his. “… What?”

“Let’s just say you went titan, and apparently, saw Marco in the distance, and wanted to confess your undying love to him,” She said bitterly.

“First of all, it’s not ‘undying love’,” Eren said as he started pulling himself out of the remaining titan flesh, “I’m worried about him.”

“You seemed more along the lines of happy than worried when seeing him,” Ymir sassed back.

“… Well, if I was, it’s just along the lines of friends,” Eren said defensively before finally pulling his foot out and fell backwards, straight to the ground. “Ow.”

“Eren!!” Mikasa ran over to him and hauled him over her shoulder.

“Put me down, and spare me some dignity,” Eren mumbled out.

“No. I will carry you out of here. And say we were chasing a squirrel who took your hotel key.” And with that, she started walking away from the smoldering bodies, carrying Eren.

Upon exiting the woods, Eren heard Armin yelling, “Hey!! Took you long enough!”

Eren tried looking over, but was having a hard time. Finally, Mikasa set him down, letting him see who was around. He saw Marco next to Bertholdt, who instantly smiled when he saw Eren. “Hey! How are you?”

Eren stood there, before finally finding his voice to answer. “Uh, been better?”

“Squirrel give you problems?”

Eren scoffed. “Yeah…”

_Why the hell a squirrel?!_

Without warning he felt something clamp down on his foot. “Ow!!” Looking down, it was, once again, the mutt. “You.” The mutt glanced up at him, before letting out a muffled snarl.

“Oi! Cut that out!” Marco went over to them and removed the dog. “Sorry about him.” He pulled something out of one of his pockets, and held it to the dog. It was one of the toys he found yesterday, the rope one. “If you want something to bite, please use this.” The dog looked at it for a moment before clamping his teeth down.  Marco tugged the rope, only to have the dog tug back. “Okay, much better.”

Marco released the rope, leaving the dog to continue chewing the rope. Just then, Reiner, who had finally catched up with them with Ymir, waved at Marco. “Hey. Glad to see you again.” He then saw the dog with its rope. A look came to Reiner’s face. “Hey, mind if I try something?”

“Reiner no,” Bertholdt instantly said, having a better idea than Eren did of whatever Reiner had in mind.

“I do it with my dogs all the time,” Reiner said instantly. “So can I?”

“Uh,” Marco hesitantly started, “It won’t harm the little guy, will it?”

“The dog, no,” Bertholdt answered, “Reiner, on the other hand, is not guaranteed.” He finished the last part while giving his boyfriend a look.

“C’mon,” Reiner said to his boyfriend, “Just this once.”

Marco didn’t respond for a while. “… Well… just once wouldn’t hurt?”

“Thanks.” Without warning, he came over to the dog and grabbed the unattended end of the rope. He then lifted it up, picking the dog off the ground. It instantly started growling at Reiner. “Hold on.” As soon as he said that, Reiner went to the field where he had more space, and started spinning, taking the mutt with him. After a minute or so, he stopped spinning and set the dog down with the toy. The dog looked up at Reiner before pawing at his feet, wanting to be spun again. “M-maybe some other time,” Reiner slurred out, before starting to stumble around. Within ten steps, he fell to the ground.

Bertholdt rolled his eyes. “This always happens.” Holding the cat close to him, he went over to the fallen hulk. Bertholdt stood over for Reiner, the cat looking in the same direction. “You never learn.”

Reiner looked at his towering boyfriend. “Mmm, wazzat in your arms?” He tried to push himself up, and pointed to the cat, a smile coming to his face. “Is it the baby?”

Bertholdt froze there. “What?”

“The baby, it finally came?” After a moment of confusion, Eren realized what Reiner must have been referring too. The ‘baby talk’ yesterday. It was continuing, intentionally, not the result of head trauma. “Did I miss the delivery? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to miss it.”

 “Reiner!!”

After a moment, Reiner stood up. “Are you our baby?” He pointed at the kitten, which at first started to shy away. After a while, it experimentally looked out to the pointed finger, then squeaked at him. “You are?” The cat bated at the large finger. “Oh, you do look like your mommy.”

Bertholdt’s face turned a pink shade as his boyfriend continued cooing the cat. “Reineeer~”

“Oh, should we go buy the baby clothes now?” Reiner touched at the cat’s ear, chuckling when it started nibbling. “Really? Get toys first? Okay.” Looking up at his boyfriend, he smiled. “Your gonna be a great mama, you know that Bert?”

Bertholdt smiled shyly at the complement. “Okay, I think that’s nice.” The cat looked at Bertholdt and chirped at him.

Turning away, he saw Marco looking at the boyfriends again, similar to his expression yesterday. But this time, it looked sadder. “You okay?”

Marco didn’t answer for a moment, then looked at him. “Huh?”  He then realized Eren asked him something. “Oh! Y-yeah, just thinking of something dumb.” He then tried to smile at him. “Uh, thanks for yesterday by the way. Helping me carrying the stuff to my place.”

“No problem,” Eren replied. The dog came back over to Marco. “See someone hasn’t changed much.”

“Well, he let Krista pet him,” Marco answered as he bent down to pet it. “Armin told me that you didn’t like baths.”

Eren gaped at the statement. “What?”

“They noticed that I gave him a bath, and I told them he didn’t enjoy it.”

“He?”

“Yeah, it’s a boy. Are you sure you don’t have a twin brother that became a dog?”

“… Only child. I’m positive.” He was certain about that. His parents tried several times to have some other kids, but it turned out his mom was prone to miscarriages. Basically, it was a miracle that they managed to have him.

“Well, you can adopt the little guy, and he can be your twin!”

Both Eren and the dog looked at Marco, both disapproving. “No.”

Marco shook his head. “Well, we need to come up with a name for him anyway. Have any suggestions?”

“… Dummy? Nuisance? Mutt?”

Marco shook his head. “Not those names… and don’t ask Armin for suggestions, he wanted to name him ‘Dinner Time’ to see what would happened.”

“Dully noted,” Eren muttered. The dog looked at him and nodded lightly.

“Great, thanks.” Just then, Marco winced and grabbed for his stomach.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing, j-just the flu…” Marco tried smiling and let go of his stomach. “I took some medicine earlier, so no need to worry. I promise.”

“Hey!!” The both looked over at Armin. “We were gonna go over to the flower garden! Let’s go!” He started running down the path, followed by Ymir, Krista, Mikasa, Bertholdt and Reiner, the last two still with the kitten.

Marco looked back at Eren. “Well, shall we go?”

Eren nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

“Okay.” The dog took after the rest of the group, pulling Marco along. “Whoa!” He giggled a bit as he let the dog continue leading him. “Be careful lil guy.”

Eren watched as Marco walk further down, and started going after him. He had a feeling that things weren’t going to be better than what they were yesterday for Marco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rogue Titan, ultimate dork, had made another appearance!! I missed him so much and had to put him in somewhere. I imagine that Eren tends to be more honest when he's in that form than his human form, in a childish way, but he still goes into his 'GAAAHH' mode and fucks shit up.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CZERWIK DID FANART FOR THE FIC. IM JUST... BEYOND WORDS OF THANKS. THIS MEANS SO MUCH TO ME.  
> HERE'S THE LINK IF U WANNA CHECK IT OUT: http://czerwik.tumblr.com/post/98495023854/i-simply-cannot-describe-how-much-i-love-bin-ich
> 
> i just want to make something clear really quick: I am an anonymous writer, and would like to remain so. I have reasons on why, one of them involving past experiences with another fandom and getting hate messages on livejournal a few years ago, leading me to delete all of my fics and my account.
> 
> Also, several people asked me if Bertholdt is pregnant in this fic. I hate to disappoint you guys, but he isn't. However, I am willing to write a fic where he is.
> 
> Another thing, i was wondering if anyone would be willing to help me do some editing. I recently got a critique saying that I have a lot of errors and it's making it difficult to read, and that some of the conversations are hard to follow. I have an easy time reading it, but I'm the author, and it's kinda hard for me to see my own mistakes. If anyone is willing to over it and help me fix some things, please let me know. I will appreciate it a lot.
> 
> Warning: There is verbal abuse in this chapter! Please proceed with caution!  
> If I have caused any of you guys to be triggered while reading my fic, I'm sorry, I really am!

Marco watched as the dog tried to go straight for the flowers planted in the ground. “Hey, you better not be planning to dig anything up,” Marco said and pulled the leash a bit. The puppy looked over at Marco, and barked at him. He then went watched as the dog sniffed the flowers, pawing at the ground, making his desires clear. “You really are a dog.”

“Mmm, maybe we can name him ‘Dirt’ instead.” Marco looked over at Eren behind him. “Suits him.”

“No, not that,” Marco responded as he watched the dog start to rub himself against the ground, getting dirt on his fur. Making a ‘tsk’, Marco went over and picked him up. “Not that name, right?” The puppy whined and tried to go back to the ground. “Do you want to take another bath today?” The dog stopped and looked over at Marco, fear in his eyes. There was a small whimper, and the dog’s tail tucked itself between his legs, affirming the dog’s answer of ‘no’. “Then try not to get dirt all over, buddy.”The dog gave a small bark before nuzzling against Marco, making him smile before looking back at Eren. “Wanna try petting him again?”

“No,” Eren said plainly. “That thing hates me.”

“Just try,” Marco pleaded and held the dog out to him. In return, the dog glanced at Marco, not happy with being offered to Eren. “You two have to be related somehow,” Marco said firmly as he brought the dog closer to him again.

“Hey!” Both boys looked over at Armin, who was waving at them. “I found hummingbirds!”

Eren stared at Armin for a moment. “… Hummingbird? As in the tiny bird?”

“Yep! They’re all gathered at the feeders!!” Armin gestured them to follow him. “Come on!!” Marco started walking towards the blonde, holding the puppy. “Eren! Hurry up!”

“I’m coming,” the brunette mumbled as he trudged after Marco.

After following Armin up the pathway again, they eventually entered a small section that was somewhat closed off from the rest of the pathway. Marco spotted several people huddled around a small circular patch of flowers that had a few feeders attached to the pole in the center. Indeed, there were hummingbirds hovering at the feeders, zipping back and forth. Marco heard the dog bark at the ones that went by them as they drew closer. One of the hummingbirds must have notice, because the next thing Marco knew was that a hummingbird flew back to him and the dog, and hovered in front of the dog’s nose, pointing its beak towards him. The puppy fell quiet then, watching the hummingbird with wide eyes. To Marco’s surprise, the hummingbird pecked the poor puppy’s nose and took off upward. The dog whimpered as soon as it was gone and turned to face Marco, burying his face in the boy’s neck.

“Oh, it’s okay buddy,” Marco as he stroked the dog’s fur. “The mean birdie is gone.” Looking up where the hummingbird took off in, he frowned. “I never knew hummingbirds could be like that.”

“Aggressive?” Marco glanced over at Armin. “Yeah, they can be. Especially the males. It’s usually due to the demand of territory and food. They have been observed to stay in the same feeding spot just to make sure nothing else gets the food.”

“Wow, that’s really mean.”

“All animals that need food have to defend their stuff somehow. Even the tiny ones,” Armin answered. “But a hungry bird is better than a threatened mama bird.” He then looked over at Eren and smirked. “Right Eren?”

“Armin,” Eren said warningly, as if he was going to do something that Eren didn’t want.

“He would know,” Armin continued, “When we were 5, there was a bird nest in a tree that was in his side of the back yard. One day, Eren decided to go climb the tree and investigate the nest. It turned out that there were some chicks, which I found out later were tree swallows. But both parents were coming back in from getting food, and weren’t too happy that a kid was looking at their only babies. As soon as they were close enough, they started attacking him.”

“W-what do you mean by attacking him?”

“Using their talons to scratch as well as pecking him.” Armin let out a small laugh. “They chased him down the whole neighborhood street before stopping. When I was counting how many peck marks Eren had, he had a total of 14 on just his face, and there were several more on his arms.”

“Okay Armin,” Eren quickly interrupted as he walked up to the blond boy, “That’s enough.”

“Were you scared?” Marco asked him. “When you were being attacked?”

Eren glanced at Marco. “… Yeah, I was. Thought I was going to loose an eye.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be. I guess if I had some kids and something a hundred times bigger that I wasn’t familiar with was next to them, I’d attack it too.”

“… You are a softy on the inside, aren’t you?” Marco smiled at him as he teased the shorter boy.

Eren growled at him as a small blush came to his face. “No comment.”

When another bird flew by, Marco felt the small dog press against him some more, clearly afraid of the birds. Taking pity, Marco walked farther away from the feeders, rocking the puppy like a baby. “Shh, shh, it’s all right.” When he was far enough, the puppy looked up at him and licked his chin, relieved to be away from the birds.

Armin approached Marco and looked at the dog. “I guess it would be a bad idea to show him Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’.”

Marco tilted his head, never hearing the name Hitchcock before. “Who’s that?”

“… You never heard of Hitchcock?” After Marco shook his head, Armin asked, “Have you ever heard of the film ‘Psycho’ then?” Marco shook his head again. “He was a famous horror movie maker, and in ‘The Birds’, birds start to attack people on a maximum level, causing chaos in the whole town.”

“… I… see…” Marco gave a small shudder. He really never enjoyed the ideas of horror films.

“The ending’s kinda ambiguous though. I honestly preferred Psycho, which was inspired by an actual serial killer. It ended up with Academy Award nominations too. And it was a low budget film.”

“Hey, I think that’s enough Armin,” Reiner interrupted as he walked up to them, surprising Marco.

“Okay.”

“Sorry about that,” Reiner said to Marco, “He’s just a bit of a horror nut.”

“N-no, I’m fine.” Marco shook his head.

 “Oi!” Marco heard Ymir call out to them, and saw her walking towards her. “Finally got the cat off of the tree.”

“She is? Okay,” Reiner replied. “Hope the baby didn’t get any scrapes.”

Ymir stopped there and gave Reiner a deadpan expression. “… Are you seriously going to keep calling the cat that?”

“Of course, she is our baby!”

Ymir sighed and led Marco away by grabbing his hand, being followed by Mikasa, Eren, and Armin. “Try not to get infected by whatever he has, okay kid?”

“Yes Ma’am,” Marco nodded.

“Hey wait!” Reiner started going them.

Ymir led Marco out of the hummingbird sanctuary and took him over to everyone else. Marco immediately saw Berthold holding the kitten with Krista next to a medium sized tree with a few nests in them. “Hey mommy and baby,” Reiner started as he came up to his boyfriend. “The baby was giving mommy a hard time just now, huh?” The kitten made something that sounded more like a meow than anything else before, but it was still along the lines of a chirp. “At least the baby is apologizing,” Reiner said while looking at Bertholdt, who was turning red, and looked back down at the kitten. “So, does mommy have a name for you yet?” There was another meow-chirp. “No? You want the whole family to have a say? Okay.”

Marco watched Eren’s face fall. “Pardon?”

“That’s right, you all are the family!” Reiner pointed to Ymir and Krista. “The sweet sister and her girlfriend thus family!” He then pointed to Armin. “The smart brother!!” Then Mikasa. “The kick-ass sister!” The then pointed at Eren and Marco. “The cranky brother and his boyfriend!”

Eren and Marco turned red, the former who shrieked, “HE’S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!!”

“But you are cranky,” Reiner rebuffed. The dog that Marco was holding barked. “Take that as a yes.”

Eren growled. “Whatever.”

“So,” Armin said, “Should we get started on picking a name?” There was a general mumbling of ‘yes’ answers. “Okay, so the best way to pick one is to list all of the possible names then take a vote.”

“Seriously,” Ymir asked, “A vote?”

“Unless you want to flip a coin instead.”

“Never mind, vote’s good.”

“For our baby, it has to be a pretty name, but incase the baby decides that she is actually a he, we should have a back up name,” Reiner said while holding his boyfriend.

Eren let out a groan as Reiner continued on about the kitten being their baby, but was ignored. “For god sakes, Reiner…”

“It’s not that bad,” Marco assured him. “And I do think they would make good parents.”

“I guess…” Eren looked at his feet. “… Have you and your boyfriend ever considered becoming parents?”

That caught Marco off guard. “Huh? Oh! Well…” He fidgeted trying to think of an answer. He liked children, and wouldn’t mind taking care of one. But… he was afraid of what Jean would do if they did have one. Children do things without worrying about consequences. He was afraid that if he and Jean did have one and they did something, Jean would get angry with them and beat them, like when Marco gets him mad. Given how things usually are. “Uh… not really… we never talk about adopting any. And I doubt I would make a good parent anyway.”

Eren looked at him. “… What makes you say that?”

“Huh?”

“That you doubt you would make a good parent?”

Marco rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I’m slow… and clumsy. And I’m not smart.”

“… You are smart.”

“… Not smart enough though… that’s why I’m taking online classes…” After his relationship with Jean became serious, his grades began to slip drastically. Jean had him placed in an online school, which was slower paced than the actual thing.

 “Hey, Eren! Marco!” Eren looked over at Ymir, “We gonna feed the cat at the picnic tables, so hurry up!”

“We’re coming,” Eren said as he walked away from Marco, glancing back for a moment.

After most of the group had gone ahead, Marco started to follow them, trying to keep his distance. His mind went back to Reiner considering him ‘family’.

_I can’t fit in with them. Ever, even if they wanted me to be with them. I’m not good enough._

“Hey.” Marco nearly jumped and looked up, realizing Reiner had walked back over to him. “You don’t look to good, you feeling sick?”

“N-nah… I mean, I took medicine earlier, so I should be good,” Marco quickly said. He resumed walking, with Reiner at his side, looking concerned. It made Marco nervous, since he wasn’t sure if he was safe around Reiner.

“… So,” Reiner pointed at the dog, who barked at the finger, “Do you have any ideas what to call the little guy?”

“None. And I dunno if it would be a good idea to give him a name based on size.”

“Mmm. I get it. He is small. Smaller than most of the dogs I have.”

That’s right, Reiner said he had dogs earlier.“What kind of dogs are they?”

“One is a Rottweiler, named Susie. And there are the two American Bulldogs, Tyler and Bud. Oh, and a Newfoundland dog called Blanket, cuz Bert’s siblings use her as one. And then there’s Connie Jr., a Teddy Roosevelt Terrier and a Corgi called Armin. Then there’s the Tibetian Mastiff called Simba. And then the German shepard named Flower, and the Malamute and Akita mixed dog that we ended up calling Mikasa.” He paused for a moment. “Bert and I have been taking care of a Groenendael together that we’re calling Rogue.”

Marco used his fingers to count the number of dogs that was. When he finished, he ended up with ten in total. “… That’s a lot of dogs.”

“Most of them are rescued,” Reiner added proudly. “I help a dog shelter, and sometimes I just take the dogs home to take care of them. Or just put in charge of either the puppies that are too young to be left alone or the ones with some kind of health problem, since my mom’s a vet. Bud, and Blanket have been with us the longest, 5 years. Armin and Connie Jr. were a week old when the shelter took them in, so Blanket’s raising them for the mean time. Tyler was a stray that my mom got attached to 3 years ago. Flower, she’s a retired police dog from a year ago, and the only one who wasn’t rescued but given to me. Simba was abandoned two years ago because he ended up a lot bigger than what the owner wanted. Mikasa was raised by cats for a while, so she has some cat like tendencies. Might end up giving her to Mikasa the humal later on, but she’s also a bit too young to give away, but she’ll be ready in a week or two.”

“What about Rogue?”

Reiner let out a sigh. “Bertholdt was the one who found her around a month ago on the side of the road. She’s the same age as the dog here.” He pointed to the puppy that Marco was holding before trying to pet him, and to Marco’s surprise, the dog allowed it. “When he brought her to my place, we had to treat some things that were pretty serious. ”

“How serious?”

“… She had a broken rib, and was pretty malnourished… she’s better now. But she hates to be left alone, so she’s usually with a person or one of the dogs.”

Marco nodded, feeling sympathy for the dog. “Must have been tough for her.”

“It was, but she managed to pull through,” Reiner said.

“That’s good,” Marco said as he continued walking.

Reiner gave a small chuckle. “Eren’s right. You would make a good parent.”

Marco didn’t reply.

-

Reiner rubbed his chin as he and the whole group were gathered at one of the picnic tables, and glanced back at the kitten, who was suckling on a baby bottle Bert had bought that morning when the group left the hotel. “Bumble bee?”

Eren gave him a deadpan expression. “No.”

Armin’s turn. “Darth Vader?”

“NO.”

“Still putting it on the list, along with Bumble Bee,” Armin said as he scribbled the names down on a piece of paper he had. Which already had several names.

Ymir spoke up as Krista was fixing her hair. “Black Widow?”

“You wanna name a cat after a spider?”

Ymir rolled her eyes. “No, I wanna give her the name of the best superhero in the whole world.”

“Don’t you mean heroine?”

“No, I don’t see the point on separating idols based on gender. And it sounds like the drug.”

Reiner nodded. She was right. “I’m with her.”

Marco, who was standing, quietly said, “What about ‘Abby’?”

“I think that’s the most sane name recommended so far,” Eren said.

“And for the dog? Do we have any ideas yet?” Mikasa asked as she stroked said puppy’s fur, who was on the table and unattached from the leash, looking at her with amazement, amusing Reiner.

Bertholdt looked up from the kitten. “Uh, maybe something like ‘Eren Jr.’, I think it would suit him.” There was a disapproving glare from both the dog and Eren, making Bert quickly say, “Maybe not.”

“Nonsense mommy,” Reiner quickly assured and walked over to Bert. “Trust your maternal instincts.”

“Reiner!!” Bert turned a bright red as the kitten chirped in response.

“Nothing to feel ashamed of being a mommy,” Reiner continued to tease. He loved seeing his boyfriend get flustered, plus he needed to get the positive comments. “You should be proud of making something so pretty.” He said that last part while petting the kitten.

“Ahhh~” Bert hid his face with one of his hands. “Cut it out!”

Reiner couldn’t help but chuckle. “Alright… mommy.” He boyfriend peeked through his fingers and frowned.

“Maybe we can name the dog ‘Brat’. It suits him,” Eren said. The dog turned to look at him, growling. “It does,” Eren told him in self defense.

“Is that really a good way to treat your son now Eren,” Reiner scolded teasingly.

“Okay, first of all,” Eren started, “There is no way that the mutt and I could EVER be related. Second of all-“

“You are related,” Mikasa said plainly. Reiner fought back the urge to laugh at Eren’s shocked expression at the statement. “You both find trouble, and someone needs to stop you.”

“H-hey, Mi-mikasa,” Eren stuttered, “Aren’t you gonna defend me or something?”

“I’m just stating the facts.”

Eren let out a miserable groan before slamming his head down onto the table, face planted down. “Dear god, kill me.”

Marco, who had been quiet, went over to Eren and patted his shoulder. “I-it could be worse,” He chuckled nervously.

“… Hmm, I guess,” Eren muffled through the table’s surface.

“I think Nugget would be a good name for the guy,” Ymir said.

“No, no no no no no no no,” Bertholdt instantly said with worried eyes and started to sweat. “Not if Sasha’s going to be around him.”

A confused look came onto Marco’s face. “Who’s Sasha?”

“A fearsome creature who will try eat anything that is associated with food, even if it’s just the name,” Armin said. Reiner then heard the dog whine. He looked back and saw it running across the table to where Marco was standing. As soon as he was at the edge of the table, the dog nudged his head under the boy’s jacket and took refuge there, shaking.

_He has every right to be afraid._

“Oh, you’re safe, I promise,” Marco told him as he patted the visible fur. The small creature pressed closer to the boy’s stomach, still shaking. “There, there,” Marco assured him as he looked down. After a while, the dog crawled out from beneath the jacket and tried to reach the boy’s face. “Lemme help you.” Marco lifted the dog in his arms. The puppy nuzzled against the boy, still whimpering.

 “Mmm, maybe we should name him ‘Baby’,” Armin said.

“It’ll probably become an oxymoron in the future,” Reiner commented.

Everyone looked at him with confusion. “Wha?”

Reiner looked over at the dog. “He’s small for now, but…” He crossed his arms. “I think he’s a mix of a golden retriever, a husky, or possibly a Greenland dog. Either way, all three of the breeds end up to be relatively large after a year.”

“All dogs are babies, regardless of size,” Ymir said plainly.

Reiner nodded. “True. But he might have some complains about it later on.” He then glanced over at Eren. “Like a fussy baby we all know.”

Eren glared at him. “WHAT?!”

“Fussy baby,” Ymir teased while smirking.

Eren growled, for the umpteenth time that day. “Marco,” He groaned out to the freckled boy, “You and I are the only sane ones.” Without warning, the dog Marco was holding leaned down and bit Eren’s ear and quickly released it. “OW!” He looked at the dog, who merely cocked his head to the side, playing innocent. “Cute.”

Marco looked at the dog. “What’s with you buddy? Why’d you bite Eren?” The dog responded by biting part of Marco’s sleeve, prompting the boy to laugh a little. “You getting bored?”

“Or he’s really a bear and wants to eat us all,” Eren said while massaging his ear.

“Mmm, I dunno about that…” Marco stroked the puppy’s ear. “But maybe he’s a living teddy bear.”

“Hey, that’s a good one!” Armin instantly scribbled something onto the paper. “Teddy Bear! Or just Teddy for short.”

“Wh-really?” Marco blushed a bit.

“Yeah!”

“… Ah, well…” Marco scratched his neck bashfully and giggled bashfully. It reminded Reiner a lot of how Bertholdt handled complements. He glanced over to his boyfriend, who was setting the cat down on the table.

_… Maybe they are related._

Reiner was brought out from his thoughts when he heard someone’s phone going off. He then saw Marco reaching into one of his pockets and pulling his phone out, and his face paled instantly. “… Uh… I’m sorry…” Marco handed Eren the puppy, “But I need to take this…” He quickly ran over to the set of trees that was far away, and disappeared.

“… Must be Jean,” Bertholdt said bitterly, tightening one of his hands.

Reiner reached out to rub his back, trying to get him to relax a bit. “Don’t worry, we’ll get him… and Annie will be awake soon.” There was no response. That meant Bert wasn’t okay. Reiner sat down next to him. “Bert…” He then put his hand on Bert’s shoulder and pulled him closer. “Hang in there. For Annie’s sake.”

-

As soon as Marco was sure he was far enough, he checked his phone. Text messages from Jean. It was earlier than he expected. But this kind of thing usually happens when Jean’s angry.

 

Jean: Where are you?

Jean: Are you with anyone?

Jean: Answer back now

 

Marco bit the inside of his mouth. Jean must be really mad at him.

 

Marco: I’m in the park next to the apartment.

 

Marco hesitated before answering the next question. He was afraid he would get Jean angrier if he was with anyone else. He then saw another text coming in.

 

Jean: ARE YOU WITH SOMEONE

Jean: HURRY UP AND ANSWER BITCH

 

Marco felt himself flinch when he saw the word bitch. Shaking, he quickly tapped in his response.

 

Marco: I am

 

There was no response for a few seconds. Then another text came in.

 

Jean: WHO

Marco: The boy from the other day… and some of his friends.

Jean: WHY

Marco: I thought we could be friends…

 

As soon as Marco sent the text, he regretted his choice to do so.

 

Jean: Friends?

Jean: Are you really that stupid?

Jean: there’s nothing that they would like about you besides sex

 

Marco didn’t text back, shocked that Jean said that.

 

Jean: I need to go.

Jean: I suggest if you don’t wanna get raped again, you leave those people right now

Jean: Can’t have you getting in trouble again

 

After a few seconds, Marco dropped the phone in disbelief. “Wh… why…” He couldn’t believe what Jean told him. “I… I didn’t want to be… so why… is he saying it like it’s my fault?”

_Maybe it is. The door was unlocked, that’s how those people got it._

“No, no!” Marco grabbed his head as he fell to his knees. “I didn’t think that anyone would be coming!!”

_Kinda stuid though, huh?_

Marco whimpered. “Why?” He felt another stomach cramp, but this time, it was stronger. “Nng…” Marco held himself as he remained on the ground. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

“… Am I… going mad?”

-

Eren felt the dog squirm in his hold while whining, clearly worried about Marco. “Hey, try relaxing…” The mutt looked at him and let out a small bark. Suddenly, his ears perked up, and the dog looked in the direction Marco went in. “What’s wrong?” The dog took off without warning, startling everyone.

“Wh-where’s he going?” Armin looked in the direction the dog went with confusion.

“I’ll go check,” Eren said as he stood up. Running in the direction the dog went, he found that there were several more trees in the area and was closer to the woods, and no Marco or dog in sight. “… Where?” As he was walking, he saw the dog on the ground, clueless on where to go. “Incredible sense of smell,” Eren muttered sarcastically before picking the dog up, who tried to bite him. “Cut it out, we need to find Marco…” Looking to the left, he saw Marco bending on his knees, holding his stomach. “Marco!!” Quickly running over, he leaned down. “Marco, are you okay?!”

Marco looked up panicked. “E-Eren?”

“Are you hurt?!” Eren tried to reach for his shoulder but his hand was shoved away. “… Marco?”

Marco looked at him confused. “Wh-what…” He then looked at his hand, eyes widening at his realization. “Ahh… ah…” He looked back at Eren, looking horrified. “N-no, I swear, I didn’t mean to!”

“Hey, hey just breathe!” Eren managed to hold Marco’s shoulder this time. “I know you didn’t mean to.” Marco didn’t respond, and Eren noticed he was shaking. “Just breathe…” He watched as Marco inhaled slowly before letting it out. “… Are you uncomfortable here? Do you want to go somewhere else?” When Marco didn’t respond, the dog leaned out a bit and licked the freckled boy’s cheek, surprising him. “Hey, be careful,” Eren told the dog, trying not to drop him.

Marco looked at both of them and smiled a bit. “Heh… You’re still holding him.”

“Feel free to take him,” Eren said as he held the dog out. Unsurprisingly, Marco took him and his smile got bigger. The dog nuzzled against him, making him giggle a bit. Eren couldn’t help but smile. “… Guess he helps you relax.”

Marco looked at Eren with confusion. “… Huh?”

“The dog. Whenever you hold him, you tend to calm down. Like he’s therapeutic.” It was similar to what his mother did to calm down.

\--

_Eren fidgeted in his chair as his mother was brushing his hair from behind while singing softly. She was upset earlier today, like before the incident in the bedroom, but now she was relaxed. “Mom?”_

_“Yes Eren?”_

_“Why do you brush my hair while singing?”_

_His mother didn’t answer for a while, but kept brushing. “… Someone who I loved did the same thing for me when I was small…”_

_“… Was that person the one who hurt you before?”_

_“… No. This person was before then.” After brushing his hair some more, she added something else. “It was when I lost her that I was hurt.”_

_“That person was your protector then…”_

_His mother stopped brushing. “In a way…” She then was in front of him and kneeled down. “I know you would have loved her, and she would love you as well.”_

_“… Can I ask who this person was exactly?”_

_“… Not yet.”_

_“… Does singing while brushing my hair help you relax?”_

_She smiled. “Yes.”_

_“What about when you do Mikasa’s hair, or Armin’s hair? Or warm up our hands? You do that a lot as well.”_

_“Yes, those also help.”_

_“… Then, can you brush my hair and sing everyday?”_

_His mother giggled. “Of course.”_

\--

Eren smiled at the memory. Ever since then, he always let her brush his hair while singing, which seemed to help her a lot. Looking at Marco, he seemed to have relaxed as he was holding the dog. “… He really is like a teddy bear…”

Marco laughed lightly. “Yeah, I guess he really is…” The dog nuzzled against Marco. “A really fussy one,” Marco said in a teasing voice.

“Guess we have decided a name for him then?”

“Maybe, if the other’s agree on it.”

“I’m sure they will.”

Marco smiled. “Okay.”

Eren smiled back at him and looked down. He spotted Marco’s phone lying in the grass. “Hey, this is yours, right?” Eren was about to grab it when Marco stopped him.

“Ah, it’s fine, I got it!” Marco quickly snatched it and shoved it into his pocket. He looked back at Eren and said, “Nothing to worry about.”

“… Alright,” Eren said, figuring that there was something on the phone that Marco didn’t want anyone to see. He stood up and held his hand for Marco to take. “Wanna head back now?”

Marco looked at the offered hand before reaching out for it. “Yeah.” Taking hold, Eren helped Marco up. The dog, Teddy now, looked at Eren and barked, as if upset that he’s taking Marco’s attention away. Again. “Hey, you two were just getting along now,” Marco chided. Teddy whined a bit, which Marco sighed in response. “You really are a fussy teddy bear.” He then kissed the dog’s head, prompting a tail-wag response.

“He still likes you more,” Eren said as he watched Teddy.

“He’s still warming up to people.”

Eren nodded. He then felt Marco’s hand curling a bit more around his hand. He didn’t say anything about it. It actually felt pretty nice. When the picnic tables were finally in view again, he saw Armin holding his phone and there was a sudden flash, startling Teddy. “Aw look, a baby with his two daddies!”

Eren felt himself turn beet red. “Armin…” Teddy jumped down from Marco’s arm and ran over to the shorter blonde, barking at him.

Armin immediately jumped onto the tabletop, startling almost everyone, watching the dog as it growled at him. “Whoa! You really are like Eren!!”

“Sorry, he’s just freaked out!!” Marco let go of Eren’s hand and ran over to get Teddy. “Teddy, that’s not a nice thing to do…” He picked Teddy up, who was still glaring at Armin.

Armin tilted his head, “Oh, so you think that name’s the one?”

“… S-sort of…”

“It’s a good name,” Reiner said. “I like it.”

“Same,” Ymir said, her hair now braided with Krista adding the final touches. “It’s the perfect guard dog name. Give it a fluffy name, and it’ll calm all the enemies. Then it’s time to slaughter everyone.” She added a maniacal laugh in the end, stopping when Krista tapped the top of her head. “Sorry babe.”

Krista huffed. “Honestly Ymir.” She then kissed the side of her face. Ymir in response kissed her back mouth to mouth. Soon it became a very long kissing session, prompting Marco and Eren to look away from them, both boys turning red. Even Teddy turned away, but he was probably just mimicking the motions of Marco.

Eren heard Mikasa say, “Get a room,” but was apparently ignored. “Never mind.”

The kissing session finally came to an end, signaled by Krista telling Ymir that it was enough. Eren looked back and saw Ymir holding Krista’s hands as the shorter girl hugged her. He then glanced over at Marco, who was looking at them for a while before looking away, looking ashamed, alerting Eren. “Mar-”

“Well, since we’ve established the dog’s name,” Armin interrupted, “Shall we get back to the cat’s name?”

“Fine by me,” Reiner said before picking up the kitten, “Isn’t that right baby?” The cat chirped at him then bit one of his fingers playfully. “That’s right,” Reiner told it, clearly not affected. “Want mommy to hold you again?” He then rubbed his boyfriends shoulder, which Eren immediately recognized as his usual way of trying to comfort him.

Bert turned to him and smiled, taking the cat. “Thanks.” He was quieter than before, but sounded like he was appreciating his boyfriend’s actions.

“Can we name the cat ‘Snicker doodle’?” Armin asked.

“Why would you name her that? She looks nothing like a snicker doodle,” Eren replied with confusion.

“It’s a fun name,” Armin retorted.

Eren just groaned and buried his face in one of his hands. “This is going to take much longer than it was for the dog…” Peeking through his fingers, he saw Marco was petting the dog, while averting his eyes from everyone else.

“… Any other suggestions?” Eren asked him while removing his hand.

Marco was instantly startled and looked at Eren. “Huh? Oh, not really… Sorry.”

“… Don’t be,” Eren assured him. “Besides, you already gave one of these two a name. That’s good enough.”

Marco gave Eren a small smile. “Thanks.”

When the dog nuzzled against Marco to get his attention, Eren tugged his sleeve. “Can I… hold the dog again? I just wanna carry him around for a while.” He figured he was going to make it clear to the dog that he was not a chew toy, he better start holding the damn thing.

“Sure, here.” Marco carefully handed Teddy over, despite the small whine.

Eren carefully held the dog, half-expecting him to bite his nose or something. After a staring contest, he felt Teddy experimentally lean against him. “Uhhh…” After a moment, the dog pulled back and then flopped down on his side against Eren. “… I didn’t plan this far,” Eren admitted in a dumbfounded voice, not having a single clue what to do. This was different from petting him in the restaurant.

Marco giggled before telling Eren, “Just scratch his ear, gently though.” Hoping that the method wasn’t a ‘Marco-only’ method, Eren raised the hand that wasn’t supporting the dog and did as he was told. To his surprise, Teddy actually nuzzled the hand, and his tail was starting to wag. “See?”

“Y-yeah.” Eren continued scratching, still cautious of a sudden bite attack. After a minute, there was still no biting. “Huh… not bad.”

Marco smiled at him, looking really happy. “Knew you two could get along.” When he saw Marco smile like that, he felt his cheeks starting to warm up, a blush coming to his face. Not like the previous times though. It was slower than before. More steady. The previous times he felt himself blush was mostly out of embarrassment.

This was… different. And Eren wasn’t sure what it was for this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reiner to me is the SNK version of Will Graham when it comes to dogs XD
> 
> If any of you were wondering what Teddy looks like, there was a post of a puppy that people ended up calling 'toasted marshmallow dog'. I couldn't find the exact post, but I managed to find the picture: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yk8XZ53dKcQ/UTnpo3t5n4I/AAAAAAAAAfw/XqtgEz2zmQA/s1600/golden+retriever+husky+mix+puppies+500.jpg
> 
> The bird experiences are based on real events that happened.  
> The hummingbird was based on one that somehow got trapped in the garage where I live. It tried to peck my dad, and that thing literally zipped past me when we finally got it out, and i thought it was trying to get me. They can be pretty viscous.  
> The bird incident with Eren when he was younger is based on something that happened to my sister, only it was mockingbirds instead of swallows... and the birds were later eaten by a hawk. I was too young to remember, but my sister wasn't. I cried the first time I heard the story.
> 
> I'm still trying to figure out a name for the cat that's decent. If you guys have any suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know. Also, I would like to thank Chickadee130 for suggesting the dog's name to be "Nugget". Sorry I didn't use it, but I really wanted to mention it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to update!! October was pretty crazy for me. I've had a few midterm exams, some crazy personal issues, and my computer suffered a virus. Never lend your laptop to anyone if they won't give an explanation of why they can't use their own computer D':
> 
> ANND then I accidentally posted this chapter on the wrong fanfic DX Sorry for anyone who saw that!! QAQ
> 
> Someone volunteered to help me out by editing my chapters, so I would like to thank iimeepii for taking their time to help me QwQ  
> So, chapter one has been edited already, I was just waiting till I was ready to post my new chapter to put it up so people would know ^^
> 
> Also, I wanted to inform you guys that I imagined Marco being part Colombian. It's a head cannon of mine, and I thought I might as well let you guys know.
> 
> And I would like to give thanks to phantombullets240, Mooshmoon, and Missanochan of tumblr for name recommendations for the kitty, it helped me out :D
> 
> -  
> UPDATE!  
> I changed hispanic to latino/a because someone told me that latino/a is the preferred term. I apologize to anyone I offended, and please correct me in the future if I make a mistake similar to this again.

Marco watched as Teddy wagged his tail while being scratched by Eren. He couldn’t help but feel happy that Teddy was finally getting used to other people. “See Teddy? Eren isn’t that bad,” Marco told the dog. There was a small noise from the dog, as if it was embarrassed. Marco giggled a bit and looked up at Eren. He saw that his face had a small red tinge to it. “Are you okay Eren? You look a little red.”

Eren looked at Marco, surprised. “Huh? Oh, yeah, fine…” He turned away again, still red.

“… Alright,” Marco replied quietly, feeling as if Eren was starting to get tired of him.

Reiner’s voice bought Marco’s attention. “What about Oreo?”

“Wouldn’t that pose some danger if she’s around Sasha?” Armin asked grimacing.

“Uhh, good point… Chip?”

“Doesn’t sound like something she’ll get eaten alive for,” The shorter blond said as he scribbled something down on the paper. The kitten, who was playing around with Mikasa’s scarf, suddenly bounced over to Armin before grabbing his hand and gnawing on the pencil tip. “Really? Here I am, nice enough to help with figuring out a name, and you decide to thank me this way?” She ignored him, earning a sigh. “Do your cats act like this Bertholdt? I keep forgetting.”

Bertholdt pursed his lipse before answering. “The younger ones do. Queen Anne is more… well, fatal.”

“Meaning she tends to break the skin when she bites and scratches,” Reiner added. “I have had my fair share of her wrath.”

“Oh yeah, now I remember. She tore your homework assignment up one time, right?”

“Yep, three years ago.” He didn’t sound too happy when mentioning it. “Which I prefer to not talk about.”

Marco pursed his lips together, curious to know what the damage was exactly, not wanting to bother Reiner with anything.

Armin’s pencil was pulled out of his grasp by the kitten, who was now batting it down the table. “Hey, no! That’s my pencil!” Armin did try to reach for it, but she batted his hand away. “Give it back!!” She chirped at him and resumed gnawing the pencil, which Armin sighed at. “Fine, keep it.” Digging into his pocket, he pulled out another pencil. “Do you guys wanna go over the list we have so far?”

There was a few nods before Armin lifted the sheet to his face. “Okay, so far, we have Pip, Yoghurt, Bumble Bee, Darth Vader, Black Widow, Abby, Snicker Doodle, Daisy, Apple, Berry, Boo, Treat, Trick, Kabuki, Oreo, and Chip.”

Reiner rubbed his chin. “Okay, I think that might be enough names for now.” Just then, the cat tumbled off the table, which Reiner immediately caught with his big hands. “My baby!” Holding the kitten close to his chest, he asked her, “Are you alright baby?” She just chirped at him. “Good, hate anything to happen to you or your pretty mommy.” Said ‘mommy’ turned a slight red.

“Reiner, be sure not to bury the poor thing in cleavage,” Ymir said. “Swear to god, that thing’s tiny.”

Eren asked, “Hey, what type of breed is she anyway?” There was no response. “… No one knows.”

“I could probably ask my mom,” Reiner said as he looked down at the cat, “but if I had to throw out a guess of some kind, I would have to go with Scottish fold given her ears.” He pointed to her hears, which were flopped downwards a bit. “But then there are the chances she’s just a mix.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Scottish folds are medium sized cats, but the baby looks a lot smaller than most Scottish fold kittens, but that could be a random mutation. I really don’t know.”

Mikasa pointed at the cat. “What about her legs? They seem pretty short.”

Reiner looked back at the cat. “Lemme set her down on the table.” As soon as she was down, she started walking around and it was easier to see that her legs were short. “You’re right. I think there’s only one species that has short legs… what’s their names again?” He looked up and snapped his fingers, trying to remember. “Started with an ‘m’ if I recall…”

“Munchkin,” Bertholdt quickly said. “But then there are breeds that derived from Munchkins like the Napoleon and the Skookum that also have short legs.”

Marco looked at Bertholdt. “You really know a lot about cats, huh?”

“Only because my younger siblings had me do research for them when we were going to get our first cat.” He rolled his eyes. “Can’t recall how many books they brought me...”

“It was 137,” Reiner said.

Bertholdt looked at him with wide eyes. “How do you remember?”

“You labeled the books by numbers because you didn’t want to memorize the names, and the last one was called 137.”

“… Oh yeah.”

“What type of cat did your family get?” Marco asked while tilting his head.

“Siberian. She was from the shelter Reiner works at now.”

“What’s her name?”

“Queen Anne.”

“Oh, like the historical figure?”

“… Not intentionally. We named her after my sister. Annie.” Everything suddenly became very quiet.

Marco tried to break the silence, which was scaring him. “Uh, are you two close?”

“… We are… or were.” Marco noticed that Bertholdt’s voice dropped a bit when saying that. “She’s been in a coma for three years.”

Marco looked at him with shock, immediately regretting his choice to ask. “I’m, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

 “Don’t be.” Bertholdt replied, his voice still low. Reiner started massaging his boyfriends back, in a comforting manner.

Marco nodded, not wanting to press on any more. Everything remained quiet for a while before the cat broke it with a small squeak.

“Uh,” Bertholdt started, “Shall we get back to naming the cat?”

“Sure,” Eren said, Teddy still in his arms while chewing the table’s edge.

Armin nodded, “So, I think we should narrow the choices down a bit. Anyone have anything they wanna keep?”

“Obviously the ones I recommended,” Ymir said. He looked at Bertholdt and cocked her head. “You?”

“Uh, I dunno,” Bertholdt admitted. Without warning, there was a sudden hiss from the cat. Looking to where she was, Marco saw that the cat was hissing at a large dog, a Greyhound, off its leash, just a few feet from the table. “Uh, where’s its owner?” There was no one in sight calling for the dog, and it was getting closer to the scared kitten. After another hiss from the small fur ball, it stopped moving. Then after a while, it was proceeding to come closer, which is when Teddy squirmed out of Eren’s arms and braced himself at the kitten, growling at the Greyhound. The greyhound stopped for a while and tried to get closer again.

THAT didn’t go too well for Teddy.

Before Marco knew it, Teddy was barking angrily at the Greyhound, jumped down the table, and started chasing the larger dog away. “Teddy! No!” Marco ran after the dogs as they were going further and further away. “Teddy, stop chasing him!!”  Spotting Teddy’s leash on the ground, he leapt forward to grab it. He managed to grab it, in the process of landing on the ground. Marco heard a small yelp from Teddy, making him think that he had hurt the dog. He quickly scooped the dog up and looked at Teddy. Teddy looked up at Marco, seemingly unharmed. He even started licking Marco’s face. “Pff, okay, good to see you’re fine.” He looked in the direction that the greyhound went in. He saw the dog running up to a couple.

Taking a deep breath, he went over to them. “Uh, excuse me,” He started as he walked up to the couple, a boy and girl, “I need to apologize for… my dog. He was chasing your dog just now.”

“It’s okay, no need to apologize,” the girl said before looking down at the greyhound. “JKR, what were you doing?”

“Scaring a kitten.” Marco turned and saw Eren walking towards him, the kitten next to his neck. “I don’t think he meant to scare her, but Teddy got protective and went into ‘Bear’ mode.”

The couple went, “Oh,” and the boy looked down at the dog. “Hey, you don’t go approaching other kitties, okay? Just because Mitten’s doesn’t mind it, it doesn’t mean other kitties will.” There was a low groan from the greyhound. The boy looked back up at Eren and Marco. “Sorry ‘bout that. We have a cat back at our place, and he spends a lot of time with JKR. JKR went off on his own, and he thinks all kitties like dogs, right buddy?”

Marco nodded. “Well, take care of him, okay?” The woman nodded before the couple went off with the dog. Teddy watched while giving a warning growl. “Hey, no. JKR didn’t mean to scare the kitty.” Teddy looked back at Marco and whined.

“Ow, hey, cut that out, ow!” Marco looked at Eren and saw the kitten clawing his ear, trying to climb upwards. “Ow, ow!!”

“Lemme help,” Marco said quickly, setting down Teddy. Lifting the cat away from Eren, he laughed, “Silly kitty, Eren’s not a climbing post.” Holding her, Marco looked at her eyes, which were orange. “… Wow, you look like the perfect Halloween cat.” She squeaked at him and started nibbling his finger. “Seriously, those eyes look like jack-o-lanterns.” He looked at Eren. “Do they look like jack-o-lanterns to you?”

“Hmmm, yeah, they do look like pumpkins.” Eren picked Teddy up and took a look at the cat. “… Pumpkin.”

“Huh?”

“I think Pumpkin would be a good name. Well, I know she isn’t orange in fur color, but she has the round face. And the eyes kinda cover the orange part.”

Marco thought about it. “I guess it is a good name. We better go add it to the list though.”

“Figured you say that,” Eren said. Teddy leaned out to sniff the kitty. The cat looked at him and licked his nose, making Teddy stay still while she continued grooming his face.  She crawled over to the dog and settled down on his head. “And here I am, holding both pets again.”

“If you want, I can take them,” Marco offered and came a bit closer.

“WHA, NO NO NO, I’M TOTALLY FINE!” Eren blurted all of that out while turning red and taking a few steps back. “I CARRY TOTALLY CAN THEM! I MEAN THEM TOTALLY CARRY CAN I!” Eren’s face turned a deeper shade of red when he realized he was just babbling now.

“I-it’s okay,” Marco said, not sure what the sudden reaction was about. Eren stood there before suddenly sprinting off, leaving a confused Marco.

_I must have done something wrong. I better keep my distance from him._

Marco reached to grab his necklace, and felt its coldness against his palm.

-

Levi walked down the medicine ward until arriving to Hanji’s workroom. He stopped in front of the door and knocked. “Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

There was some shuffling inside before the door opened up. “Hey,” Hanji greeted as they stood at the doorway. Letting Levi enter, Hanji quickly closed the door. “How’s Eren?”

“He sounded stressed. He already caught onto what I was suspecting before.” Levi paused for a while. “To be honest, I’m worried this will start hitting too close to home.”

Hanji nodded. “I assume you came to hear about any updates on Annie?”

“What else four-eyes?”

“… Well, I went over the evidence collected in the first investigation. They collected the rape kit with all the procedures, so all the evidence was there. It wasn’t tested properly though.”

“Probably because the guy before was a half-assed shit head,” Levi snarled. He heard that the person responsible was eventually fired for not completing any work around the damn place. So he wasn’t completely surprised if he also lagged on the investigation on Leonhart’s case, and didn’t even try to find any more witnesses after two weeks.

“The original report said they found bodily fluids, male, located in her vaginal region as well as the back of her throat. There was also some pubic hair that wasn’t hers. The report assumed they all came from one person.”

“… But they didn’t, did they?”

Hanji cast their eyes downward. “… No. The pubic hair results suggested that there were at least four people who raped her. And we haven’t finished reexamining with the bodily fluids. I’m concerned about whether or not the DNA sample from the fluids will be reliable.”

Levi let all of the information sink in. On one hand, Hanji had found something. On the other hand, Leonhart’s case just got worse for her. “So, she was gang raped, drugged, and left to die.”

“Not without a fight. The evidence included some blood under her fingernails, along with traces of epidermis, dermis and hypodermis tissue, which were found again in her mouth, between her front teeth.”

His eyes widen when he realized what Hanji was getting at. “She bit the bastard.”

“On the shlong too. And given the fact she got down to the hypodermis, there’s a good chance that the injury scarred up when it healed.”

“So now we just need to hope that they guy didn’t go get surgery to remove the scar,” Levi confirmed while crossing his arms.

“Well, he would probably have gone to the emergency room. The pain would have been excruciating, and he would be in desperate need treatment as well as pain killers.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “Really. So if we cross-reference hospitals with people who came in for treatment for their dick, they might have there DNA in the system.”

“Yep. And I already have the DNA from the hairs being searched in other data bases to see if there’s a match to any of them.”

“Good. Anything else?”

“Gunpowder residue on her hands. Bertholdt said she told him on the phone that she bought a gun, prior to being assaulted. Apparently, she fired it.” Hanji scratched their head. “… But there was no gun where she was found.”

“Meaning it was probably disposed elsewhere.”

“The residue was also patches, suggesting that someone tried to wash off the evidence. Thankfully, they didn’t know enough about the stuff and couldn’t get half of it off.”

_There’s another thing pigs are terrible at. Disposing evidence. Which in this situation is a good thing._

Levi uncrossed his arms. “We have any idea where she got the gun from?”

“Given there was no gun found at the scene, the original investigation didn’t go into that lead. But I already asked people to start locating dealers that were around back then that someone like Annie would go to.”

“Anything else?”

Hanji nodded and grabbed a stack of papers that were stapled together. “I went over the photos of the physical damage that was recorded. There was a blow to the head, which I think was from a blow that they intended to kill, but she managed to survive it since she was a shifter. They probably drugged her afterwards, but I can’t be certain.” She flipped the papers to the halfway point before showing Levi a photo of a bruise on the back right side of Leonhart’s head. “Now, see those darker marks?”

“Hmm?”

“Here.” Hanji pointed at a small area that was darker than the rest of the bruise, in the shape of a thin line. It was probably just the shifter-healing result of what Hanji said what was an intended-death blow. “I think she may have been hit with a crowbar, or something with an edge.”

“Also not found where she was?”

Hanji shook their head. “I think the assault happened somewhere else, not where she was found. They had originally searched the quarry and surrounding area only.”

“Meaning we have to find that crime scene… and gives us more hospitals to search.”

“Yep.”

“Is there anything that could narrow the search?”

“Not yet. Still going though the other evidence, and the mystery drug is proving itself to be a real bastard. It wasn’t something that could be bought at the average drug store, and I haven’t found any matches in the database.”

“… Is Moblit having any luck getting it out of Leonhart’s system?”

“He managed to pump some of the drug out, but he’s still looking for something to counter it. But I definitely think she will wake up. Annie’s vitals kicked up again a few minutes ago.”

“At least that’s something.” Levi muttered.

“… Say, Levi, may I… ask you to do something? It’s got something to do with your old business.”

-

Armin looked up at Eren. “Pumpkin?” Eren nodded, watching Armin quickly scribble it down. Armin looked back up and smirked. “… Was it you, or your Dots that came up with the name?”

Eren felt his eyebrow twitch. “Me. I can come up with names as well… and stop calling him that.” He felt the cat nudge against his hand, making him look down at her. He had set her and the dog down earlier, and she had came back over to him and started rubbing against his hand. Eren scratched the kitten’s head, hearing her purr.

“Teddy, Teddy no.” Eren saw Marco a few feet from the table with Teddy, who was trying to eat some flowers. Marco had shied away from the rest of the group when they came back to the table and started playing with the dog, before the flowers anyway. Eren felt his cheeks warm up while looking at him. Teddy had a flower in his mouth just when several hummingbirds flew down and started attacking the dog, who ran for his life, yelping. “Teddy!” Marco instantly ran after the dog, and out of earshot.

“-Ren, Eren!!”

“Huh?” Eren looked back at everyone at the table. “What?”

“We just asked if you had anything else to suggest for a name,” Reiner said while raising an eyebrow. “You okay? You seemed a little flushed.”

“I, no, no more names, and I’m fine,” Eren quickly answered.

Mikasa squinted her eyes at him. “… Did something happen between you two when you guys were alone? Just now?”

Eren didn’t answer. Instead, he avoided looking at her. He didn’t want to say he started stuttering like an idiot and he had no idea why before bolting off.

“You yelled at him, didn’t you.”

Now Eren faced Mikasa. “No!” And now everyone was frowning at him. “… Well, kind of.”

“Define ‘kind of’,” Armin said in an unamused tone.

“… I… was holding the two, and he offered to take them from me. I… I dunno what made me raised my voice.”

Ymir raised her eyebrow before leaning in. “Were you babbling?”

“…”

Just then, Eren saw a sudden smile break out. “Ooohh… ‘tis the signs of-” She stopped when the sound of Bertholdt’s phone went off. “… What is it?”

Bertholdt quickly pulled his phone out. “… My mom.” He quickly answered it. “Mom, is something wrong? … What?” Bertholdt stayed quiet for a few seconds. “She did?” There was a small crack in his voice. “I… I’m glad…” A small smile broke out on his face. “… I’m glad she’s…” He listened a little longer. “Okay… Thanks… I’ll call you later. Bye.” Bertholdt hung up, clenching the phone.

“What is it?”

“… Annie’s vitals were kicking up again. Mom said that Hanji thinks that she’s more likely to wake up.”

Reiner grabbed his shoulders, “Really?”

“Yeah. She said that she’ll call us if there’s another update.” Bertholdt’s voice as still cracking, and Reiner pulled him into a hug.

“That’s great…”

“… I… I wanna go tomorrow.”

Eren blinked. “What?”

“I-I want to be there for Annie. I mean, she’s going to wake up soon, and I’ve been hoping that this would happen eventually, a-and-and it’s actually going to happen!” Bertholdt’s voice continued cracking and the pitch rose.

“Hey, hey, we get it,” Eren quickly said. “She’s your family. You should be there for her.”

Reiner was rubbing his boyfriend’s back when he spoke. “… So we’ll do it like we discussed?”

Eren nodded. “Yeah, I’ll stay here with Mikasa and Armin while you guys go see Annie… And there’s still five more days til Jean is back. So I think it would be safe.”

-

Teddy, as he was now being called, was hiding in a patch of tall grass, shivering while looking at the sky fearfully. Oh, how he hated those nasty pointy-beak birds! He cried softly to himself as he crotched down a bit more when he saw another bird fly overhead. But at least he was still out in the open, instead of some dirty, small cage.

The humans he used to live with, when he was still just Pup, put him in one when they deemed him, “not in demand”, and “better for breeding”, whatever that meant. They were so nice before. They let him stay with his mommy, who helped him and his sisters understand things, like using… what was it called again? Litter box, that’s right. When he was separated from his mommy, he was sent somewhere else. Somewhere dark, and it smelled bad. When he did get a bath, the people were too rough. And the other dogs there weren’t nice like mommy. Then again, anything would become mean living in a place like that.

He only managed to escape when one of the humans accidentally knocked several cages over, including his, breaking the door and allowing him to get out. As soon as he got out of the house, he spend a week wandering around the city. He didn’t know how to find mommy again, so it was really the only thing for him to do.

\--

_Pup was trying to get the kitchen doorknob so he could get in and eat. His last meal was from the garbage can, like most of the meals before, and he wanted to try the kitchen, since it smelled much better. He was barely able to reach the knob, so he started to see if there was anything he could use to get taller. He then smelled someone coming closer. It was a human, but not a regular one. Looking behind, Pup saw a huge yellow fur human towering over him. “Hey there, what are you doing?” He bended down and reached to grab him, alarming Pup. Pup immediately growled at the stranger, wishing that he would leave. “Huh, feisty aren’t you?”_

_“Reiner?” Pup saw another human behind him, another yellow-fur but smaller. “What are you…” The other human saw Pup. “Aww, he’s so cute!” The shorter human came closer, and Pup barked at him. “Whoa! Guess he’s the aggressive kind?” The short one still tried to come closer, and Pup continued barking, and added a few snarls._

_“Yeah. Hey, you have the duffle bag, right?”_

_“Mm-hm.”_

_“Kay. So, just keep it open, and gimme a sec then…” The larger blond cornered Pup against the door, and Pup suddenly felt himself being picked up. Pup growled at the human before he was set down in a soft bag. “I rescued it.” Pup continued growling until he heard a small squeak. Looking to his side, he saw a funny looking black furred creature beside him. Pup sniffed the creature, trying to recall if he ever heard of this creature before. It smelled like it was female, but that was about all he knew._

_“Miau. Iau.” Miau-Iau? That was this thing was called? Teddy then felt the person carrying the bag he and the Miau-Iau were in. Teddy stayed still until the bag was set down some place. He heard some more people talking, and saw that they were put beneath a table somewhere. He also smelled some more not-regular-human. “Mii.” Wait, now Miau-Iau was saying ‘mii’? “Mau.”_

_Oh wait, the thing must be barking. So now he still had no idea what the creature next to him was suppose to be called. Well, he was going to stick with Miau-Iau for now._

_After a while, Pup felt the bag being lifted before being set down on the tabletop. He saw the side of the bag being opened, and Miau-Iau went out. Pup hesitantly followed, hoping that he might be able to eat. He saw more people, and carefully walked around a bit. Miau-Iau went over to a girl with a red cloth around her neck. She was next to the short yellow fur, who was next to a boy with horrifying eyebrows, who also didn’t smell normal. The boy’s eyebrows reminded him of one of the humans where he escaped from. Not wanting to go close to him, he looked to the opposite side of the table and that when he saw him._

_A boy with dark fur on his head, the skin without fur covered with little dots, and had the same brown eye color mommy had. Intrigued by the human’s eyes, Pup went over and jumped down between brown-eyed boy and whoever was next to him. They boy faced him, and Pup started waging his tail, which he understood was seen as cute. After a small sound came from the boy, Pup tilted his head and saw the bread in the plate the boy had. Pup crawled onto his lap and faced the bread. “Hi?”_

_Pup looked up at the boy, who smiled at him before holding a piece of bread for him. Pup quickly reached for it as it was above his head, and gave the boy’s fingers a few licks. The boy laughed and said something, then cleaned his fingers. Pup then noticed that the brown-eyed boy had a blue neck cloth, and decided he wanted to play with it. As soon as he tugged it, the boy picked him up and took the scarf out of his mouth. “Hey, hey, no, cut that out… silly puppy.”_

_Two of the other humans, who also smelled different, tried to hold him, but Pup didn’t allow that to happen. He didn’t trust them. When brown-eyes scolded him, Pup nuzzled against him a bit before starting to lick him. They boy laughed a bit, making Pup feel good. After a while, Pup turned to face the eyebrow boy, who seemed to be frowning. Maybe he was upset that the brown-eyed boy was paying attention to him now? Pup stuck his tongue out at him, and felt some satisfaction at the boy’s expression. He then turned back to the boy who was holding him and licked him again._

\--

Teddy felt himself relax a bit as he recalled when he first met Dots, also called Marco. But he liked the name Dots more. Even if it was eyebrow kid who was calling him that. What was that guy’s name again? Eren? He turned out to be better than he expected… all of them did. But he still didn’t like them as much as he liked Dots.

… But he was worried about Dots. Dots got scared yesterday when he accidentally spilled his water on Eren, and then was crying by himself right afterward. He didn’t seem to be eating as much as something his size should. And then there were those horrible bites and bruises on his neck. They reminded Teddy of one of the dogs back when he was in a cage. The dog’s fur was falling out and had gotten in a fight with another one of the dogs and got bitten several times, and he got sick before dying.

Dots also gets nervous whenever that metallic thing of his makes noise. Did it mean something bad was going to come after him? Teddy moaned a bit. He didn’t want Dots to be in danger. Dots was so nice. Why would anything want to hurt him?

He heard someone drew closer, and recognized Dots’ scent. He looked up and saw Dots pushing some of the grass aside while looking down. “There you are, buddy! I was getting really worried about you!” Teddy felt Dots pick him up and hold him close. “Mean birdies came after you again, huh?” Teddy whined and placed his head on Dots shoulder. “Aw, poor baby.” Teddy felt Dots kiss him, and in return Teddy nuzzled him. “There, there.” Dots started to walk away from the tall grass.

After a while, Teddy lifted his head to look around. He saw the other humans at the same table with Miau-Iau in the distance. Teddy felt Dots stop walking, and turned back to look at him. Dots was frowning, as if unsure about something. Teddy made some noise, trying to ask what was wrong. Marco looked at him. “What’s wrong?’

Teddy whined. That was exactly what he wanted to ask Dots! Gah! Why were dogs left out of the list of creatures who could actually say complex sentences?! He heard parrots could talk, but after the pointy-beaked bird, he didn’t want to ever meet the creature.

“Hey!” Teddy groaned when he heard Armin, the short blond boy, calling out to them. “We’re gonna take a vote for the cat’s name! Come on!”

“Uh… okay,” Dots squeaked as he came over to the table. He set Teddy down on the table, next to Miau-Iau, who barked her weird bark. “Um, hi Eren,” Marco said while sitting next to eyebrow boy.

“H-hi, how ya doin?” Teddy tilted his head hearing Eren talk like that. It was similar after when he chased away that other dog that scared Miau-Iau, when he was being held. Eren’s face was turning pink also. Why was he acting weird? Curious, Teddy went over to the boy and stared right at him, expecting an answer. “… What.” Teddy made a small sound, trying to mimic the word. Eren just raised an eyebrow in confusion. In return, Teddy went up to him and jumped onto him, landing on his shoulder. “What the?!” Teddy growled at him, upset that he couldn’t realize what he was trying to ask.

“Teddy, you silly boy, what are you doing?” Dots took him from Eren, leaning in a bit. Teddy nipped at him playfully and looked back at Eren. The boy’s cheeks had gotten even redder than they were just a moment ago. “Hey, are you sure you’re okay? You look a little feverish,” Dots asked in a worried voice.

“WHAWHAWHAIMFINE!” Eren scooted away from Dots and bumped into Armin, making the yellow-furred yelp. “TOTALLYFINE!” He just turned redder while talking.

“Lemme see,” Dots said reached across the table to touch Eren’s forehead. “You’re burning up! You must have caught whatever it is I have! I’m sorry!”

“No!” Teddy watched Eren shake his head. “Not likely! I mean, you don’t have a fever, right? So, can’t be!!” Okay, now he was acting even weirder.

“You should take some medicine at the least.”

“I’ll take care of that later,” Mikasa told him. “Don’t worry about him.”

“… Okay.”

“So, shall we get started on the vote?” Armin asked while shoving Eren off him, making him bump into Dots, hitting Teddy in the process. “Sorry Teddy Bear!” Teddy growled at him. “So after clearing a few names, we have managed to come down to Pip, Bumble Bee, Darth Vader, Black Widow, Abby, Snicker Doodle, Daisy, Boo, Treat, Trick, Oreo, and Pumpkin. So that is eleven names in total for possibilities.” Armin took out a note pad and ripped a few sheets out. “Write down the top three names you like, then based on the count, the one that shows up the most is the cat’s name.”

Passing the sheets around, Dots took his from the still-red Eren. Teddy was set down in Dots’ lap while Dots took a dirt-stick, a pencil if he recalled right, Armin offered. Teddy set his head and paws down on the table and watched as Marco make a few marks with the dirt-stick/pencil, curious on what it was. Teddy tried to bite the sheet so he could take a better look. “Hey, no,” Dots said while laughing. “C’mon, it has to be readable, and it won’t be if you get your drool on it.” Teddy looked up at Dots, and barked in complain. “Silly boy.” Dots did a few more marks before asking, “Uh, do I hand this back to you?”

“Yeah,” Armin answered. “I can start tallying the votes.” Just then, a crumpled piece of paper hit the boy. “Uwah!” He looked at the paper and un-crumpled it. “… Couldn’t you just have handed it over nicely Ymir?”

“I considered making it a shiruken, so this was nice,” The freckled girl answered. The short girl who was licking her earlier tapped the back of her head.

Armin sighed as several more paper pieces were handed over. “Okay, just give me a minute.” Armin started to look at the papers and mark up another paper he had. After a few minutes, Teddy started to chew the table. “I’m done!”

“What are the names for the baby?” Reiner leaned in, picking up Miau-Iau.

“The one that got the most votes were… Pumpkin.”

Eren stared at the yellow fur.“… Pumpkin?”

“Yep. Congrats Eren, your name took the vote.”

“Possibly because it wasn’t TOO insane.”

Reiner smiled. “Oh, that’s a pretty name for the baby! Yes, because she has a pumpkin face. You like the name Pumpkin baby?” Miau-Iau barked at him. “You do? Then that’s your name from now on!” Teddy blinked. Now Miau-Iau was called Pumpkin? Okay, sounds good. Pumpkin, as she was now called, batted Reiner’s nose. “Sweet little Pumpkin,” Reiner cooed, “Your mommy ate pumpkin pie when we conceived you.”

“REEIIINEEEEER!!!” The taller boy next to Reiner screeched at the top of his lungs, turning bright red and sweated a lot.

“Mommy likes to eat when he’s in bed,” Reiner continued, and the other boy buried his face in the table. Teddy wasn’t sure why. Wasn’t eating in bed fun? He heard it was.

“So now the two of them finally have names,” Armin said happily. “Glad we have that behind us!”

Teddy felt Dots hold him close again. “Yeah, I would hate to leave these guys nameless forever.”  Dots scratched behind Teddy’s ear, instantly making him happy, as well as wag his tail.

“Since we’re done here, I say we go get some lunch. Reiner you’re paying.”

“No.”

“Come on!”

“My mom called me earlier asking why I had $500 charged on my card! She told me to lay off!”

“… Okay, then we ask Eren.”

Eren glared at Armin. “WHAT.”

“You still have your gift card from your birthday.”

“Yeah, gift card. As in, something for myself.”

“What if it was used for a date?”

“What does a date got to do with this?”

“Answer the question.”

The two continued arguing, stopping when Dots’ metal thing made noise. Eren looked at Marco, who pulled the metal thing out. “Is something wrong?”

Dots looked at Eren. “… I’m sorry, but I need to go.” He quickly stood up, holding Teddy. “I need to do something. It was nice seeing you all again.” He looked at Reiner. “Uh, if it’s okay if I can take Pumpkin-”

“Yeah, the hotel made an explicate statement this morning when I asked them,” Reiner said and looked at Pumpkin. “Brother Marco is going to baby-sit you again, but Mommy and I will see you again tomorrow, okay?” Pumpkin barked at him. Reiner quickly kissed her and gave her to Marco. “And I’ll see you tomorrow Ted.” Teddy barked at him and jumped down.

“… Well, bye.” Marco waved at them and led Teddy away.

-

Marco took the leash of Teddy and set him down next to Pumpkin on the bed, and quickly gave him the egg toy. “Wait here.” He quickly ran out of the pet room and into his bedroom. He saw the flashing light of missed video call on his computer. He swallowed before sitting in front of the computer and clicked call back, and after a ring, he saw Jean’s face. “Hello Jean.”

“You didn’t come straight back like I told you to do in the text message.” Jean sounded mad. “Why.”

“… I… spent some more time with Eren and his friends.”

Jean’s frown got bigger. “Even after I said you better avoid them?”

“Jean, please-”

“NO! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!!”

Marco flinched at the volume in Jean’s voice.

_Please no please no please no please no, he was so calm before! Please no!_

“You are staying at the apartment until I get back! And if I find out you went out again, I’m not going to oversee it so easily!” With that, he ended the call abruptly.

Marco stared at the screen a bit longer before he started crying. “No… no, he-he was finally getting better with his temper… why-why?” He covered his face with his hands. “Why is this happening?”

_Maybe he wasn’t getting better._

“No! He was! He-” Marco stopped shouting when he suddenly felt something at the back of his throat, which his mind instantly registered as vomit. “Urk!” Marco covered his mouth and dashed out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. Unfortunately, he didn’t reach the toilet in time. Marco threw up, getting a yellow substance on his hand, shoes and the floor. Marco stared at the substance, horrified that he made a mess. “Ngg…” Marco stumbled around. “I-I didn’t…” He looked at his hand, shaking his head. “No, no, no,” Marco repeated, hoping this was a bad dream. He bumped into the shower door and slid down, crying, and certain he was going mad.

-

Teddy heard Dots crying out, as if in pain. He stood up and abandoned the noise-maker Dots gave him and went to the door. It was open a crack, so Teddy managed to get it open completely and ran out to where he heard the sound was coming from. Teddy saw a door that was open, and smelled both Dots and something else. Looking in, he saw vomit on the ground. He had seen it several times back when he was in a cage, usually when a dog was very sick. He then saw Dots against a clear wall, vomit on his shoes, crying. Just like yesterday in the small room. Immediately alarmed, Teddy went over to Dots and nudged Dots’ arm, and noticed his hand also had vomit on it.

Dots suddenly moved away, scaring Teddy. Dots looked back at him, tears going down his face. “T-Teddy?” His voice sounded shaky. Teddy tried to get close to him again, but Dots picked him up with the clean hand and quickly took him back outside. “Please stay out of here, I need to clean the mess up.” Dots set him down and went back in, closing the door completely.

Teddy made a small noise and pawed the door gently, knowing Dots was still uneasy. He heard a few things move around inside, but it was several minutes before he heard Dots. “He’s going to be mad…” Teddy blinked.

_Who’s going to be mad?_

“I… I wasn’t good, that’s why he’s angry…” Teddy couldn’t believe he heard Dots say that.

_No, you are good Dots, no one should be angry with you!_

After a few more minutes and Dots was still in there with the door closed, Teddy hung his head in defeat and went back to the sleep-room.

-

Isabel was about to open another can of beer when it was snatched out of her hands. “Farlan, gimme that back!!”

“No. You already had two just now, and we both know what tends to happen around the third one,” he stated while making a trippy gesture with his hand. He put it back on the shelf when there was a knock at the door. Farlan looked at the door then back at Isabel. “… Did you invite anyone over today?”

“Nope,” Isabel informed him and went to the door and opened it.

“Hey.” Levi raised his hand in greetings.

“Big bro!” Isabel immediately hugged him, hearing an ‘oof’. “How are you?”

“Been better. What about you two?”

“Farlan managed to get a job, and I am still taking college classes!” She beamed when announcing her achievement.

“Glad to hear,” Levi replied. “… Listen, I need you two to do a favor?”

Farlan sighed. “Eren spotted in titan form at a movie theater, and you need me to talk the guy into keeping his mouth shut?”

“I wish,” Levi grumbled. “It has something to do with another shifter, but it’s not pretty.”

Isabel tilted her head, surprised that Levi said that. “Not pretty. As in?”

“… Sexual assault and attempt of murder.”

Isabel felt her stomach churn at that. “What?”

“There’s a girl where I work, Annie Leonhart. Three years ago, she was raped, drugged, and tossed into a quarry.” He crossed his arms. “She had two drugs in her, but the second one was only found recently. We can’t identify it just yet… but Hanji suspects it might be some kind of drug that never made the market. The legal one anyway.”

“Why are you telling us this? We all left the underworld business,” Farlan interrupted.

“Yeah, but you guys still can talk to some of the guys there. I need you guys to ask one of them if they have any idea of what it is, remove it, or better yet, how to undo it’s effects.”

“Why? Don’t you have a suspect?” Farlan looked at Levi directly when asking

Levi growled, and ran a hand through his hair. “Not exactly. The only person who stood out was barred from whoever was originally investigating by a lawyer. I don’t have any real proof that he did have anything to do with what happened to her.”

“… What do you mean by real proof?”

Levi sighed. “… The guy who we suspect has a boyfriend, who was at the fort recently. Eren found him. And now he suspects that the boyfriend is being abused. I can definitely see it, but it wouldn’t be considered evidence in Leonhart’s case.”

“Wait, Eren? How did he get all of this?”

“… He and the others went after him. And I get the feeling that Reiner and the others are planning vigilante justice. Not that I would mind, honestly.”

“You sure it was a good idea to let Eren dive into this kind of stuff? You know he’ll try being the prince, even if it costs his head,” Farlan stated.

“Which is exactly why I need your help. The faster I can get more on Leonhart’s case, the more likely I can help the other guy by arresting the boyfriend ASAP. Eren said that he was away, but there’s only five days left. Leonhart might be waking up before then, but the drug needs to be evidence outside of her body.”

Isabel nodded. “Sure big bro. We’ll help…” She fidgeted her fingers before asking, “Are you sure Eren’s okay? I heard what happened with his folks, and-” She was cut off by a darkening look on Levi’s face. “… Ooor I could just get ready to call you-know-who now.”

“Yeah… Also, there is also something else that I want to ask you guys.”

“Sure.”

“… When you meet up with you-know-who, show him this pic and ask if he recognizes the name Jean Kirschtein.” Levi pulled out a photo with a blonde 17 year old boy, name written on back.

“Got it.”

-

Marco was finally putting the last of the cleaning solutions away. He spent over three hours getting ride of all traces of the vomit, smell included, from the floor and his shoes. He had washed his hand prior to the rest of the mess. He would have to let the shoes dry out now though, since he had soaked them for over an hour.

_Flu’s worst than I though I guess… I definitely can’t go out tomorrow. And there’s the delivery Jean wanted me to get._

Marco closed the cabinet beneath the sink and stood up, catching sight of his reflection. He looked even worse than he did this morning. His paleness increased by a factor of ten, his lips were chapped, there were noticeable bags beneath his eyes, and there was still some vomit on his face. “How… how did I miss…?” Marco quickly turned the faucet on, and grabbed a paper towel before cleaning his face. While he did get the filth off his face, he still looked horrible.

“… I better feed Teddy and Pumpkin. They must be starving.” Marco quickly left the bathroom and went to the pet room. As soon as he got there, he saw Teddy sitting there, head down. “Teddy?” Upon hearing his voice, Teddy’s head perked up and saw him, quickly coming over to him while whimpering with worry. “Hey, I’m sorry I pushed you away earlier. I was just busy…” Teddy didn’t seem to mind about that. Instead, he looked at Marco and pawed his leg. “Just go back in for now, okay? I’m going to give you guys food.” Teddy was right next to Marco as he went in, still looking at him. “I’m fine…” Just then, he felt another stomach cramp. Wincing, Marco made a mental note to take both the painkillers and flu medicine soon.

After Marco gave Teddy and Pumpkin food, he looked at the clock to check the time. 4:37. He hugged himself and sat on the bed, watching the two of them as they ate. He felt his stomach have another cramp, and then to his surprise, it let out a growl. “… Oh, guess I haven’t eaten yet...”

_… Should I though?_

Marco sat there in silence before deciding against eating. Not that he probably deserved to eat. He forced himself up, figuring that he should at the least take the medicine.

Upon entering the bathroom, he was careful not to look at himself in the mirror. He was pathetic. He quickly opened the cabinet with the medicine and took out the painkillers and flu medicine. Taking them as fast as he could, Marco left the bathroom. Just as soon as he did, his head suddenly throbbed with pain. “AH!” He grabbed his head with both hands, feeling the pain get worse. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…” The pain was becoming too much. “I… I just… need… sleep…” Marco was about to head to his room, when he suddenly felt that it was a bad idea. What if he threw up while in there? Jean would be furious. He went back to the pet room, figuring he could sleep in there.

Quickly entering the room, Marco went into the bed and curled up, hoping to fall asleep instead of feeling the pain. Surprisingly, he did.

-

Marco stirred a bit, and felt something lying against him. He opened his eyes and saw Teddy and Pumpkin sitting next to him. “Hey, wha?” Teddy whined, clearly worried. Pumpkin nudged against him, possibly showing concern as well. Smiling a bit, Marco ran a hand over both of them. He then realized something. He had to have both of them out before Jean was back. But where? The place where Eren and the others were staying didn’t allow them. Marco bit the inside of his mouth, worried.

He then heard his phone go off. Worried that it was Jean, Marco sat up and pulled his phone out of his pants that he fell asleep in. He saw text message had came in… but it wasn’t Jean. It was Eren.

 

Eren: Hey u ok? U left in a hurry today, and I got a little worried

 

Marco stared in disbelief, not sure if he was seeing things right. He was almost certain that Eren was just about completely exhausted with him. He then remembered what Armin did the other day.

 

Marco: Is this really Eren, or is this Armin again?

Eren: It’s Eren. Lemme send a pic.

 

Just like that, Eren sent a picture of him, holding the handkerchief that still had bloodstains in it. Marco then noticed a few scrapes on his face and was alarmed.

 

Marco: What happened to you? Why do you have scrapes?

Eren: I got attacked by the birds. Climbed a tree, got to close to the nest, fell, ran

Marco: OO’

Marco: Are you sure you’re ok?

Eren: Yeah

Eren: Got of light compared to other instances

 

Marco sighed in relief.

 

Eren: So, I guess I just wanted to ask if you were free again tomorrow

 

Marco hesitated before replying.

 

Marco: sorry, but I’m really feeling bad DX

Marco: Don’t think I should go out

Eren: You do? Sorry to hear that

Eren: Do u need help with anything then?

Marco: Dunno

Eren: are you okay if I come over for pumpkin and teddy?

 

Marco blinked in confusion.

 

Marco: Huh?

Eren: Reiner, Bert, Ymir and Krista have to head back to Shingashina for some family stuff, and Reiner was hoping to take the pets with him to get them checked by his mom.

Eren: So are u okay with that?

Marco: yeah, I’m fine with that

 

Truth be told, he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to worry about hiding them from Jean.

 

Eren: K

Eren: Want me to bring anything over?

Eren: Food?

Marco: No, but thank you for offering ^^

Eren: What time should I come by?

Marco: 11 ish, maybe?

Eren: Sounds good.

 

Marco smiled.

 

Marco: Well, see u then

Eren: Yeah.

 

With that, the messages ended. Marco looked at his phone to see what the time was. 8:15. “Wh… I was asleep for three hours?” Having a hard time believing it, he felt his eyelids start to drop. “How can I still be tired?” He tried to fight a yawn, but lost. “… Well, guess I better just go to bed then… but I better change.” He quickly got up and let the room. He went to his bedroom and changed into the same clothes he slept in last night. He was about to get into the bed when he heard Teddy. He turned and saw Teddy and Pumpkin standing at the door. “Don’t want to sleep by yourselves?” There was a nod-like gesture from both of them. “… Okay, I’ll sleep with you again.” Marco went over to him and picked both of them up.

This was probably going to be his last chance to be with the two of them. Might as well cherish it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write a bit from Teddy's perspective, since I tend to enjoy animals more than people.  
> Again, sorry for the time it took to update, and please give me feed back :3


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! So the update took a bit longer than I originally planned. You see, I had all of my finals last week, so I had to do a lot of school related stuff before this saturday, but surprisingly, that wasn't the worst part. No. 
> 
> Apparently, reality decided to be a bitch with me and gave me a stomach bug on thursday. So, from then to this past tuesday, I was literally sick to my stomach. I couldn't eat anything or I'd just throw up or get in a worse state than I was, water and tea tasted horrible for some reason, I couldn't get any sleep at all, and I just really didn't want to do much, except find a way to sleep. And when I was done with the overall bug, I was starving and flat out tired - still am - and then this morning I have been having cramps, which has not been making anything better.
> 
> Sorry for the rant, but I'm just really in a bad mood right now.
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone else has been okay overall.
> 
> Please let me know what you think of the chapter!

Teddy was sleeping soundly when he heard a groan next to him. Teddy opened his eyes and saw Dots with Pumpkin on his chest. Dots didn’t look good. He looked incredibly pale. And he was sweating. “N… no…” Teddy stood up and whimpered. Pumpkin looked at him and barked, also looking concerned. “St… stop…” Pumpkin looked back at Dots and started patting his face with her paw, trying to wake him up. “J-Jean…” That part sounded more like a cry. Now getting really scared, Teddy went up to Dots and started bouncing his front paws on the boy’s chest in an effort to wake him.

_Dots! Dots! Wake up!_

“I’ll… be good… I swear…”

_Wake up!_

After bouncing at a faster pace, Teddy finally woke Dots up. “Huh? T-Teddy? Pu-Pumpkin?” Dots sat up, and looked at them. “What’s wrong? You guys hungry?” Teddy made a small sound, disgruntled by Dots’ oblivion to them being worried about him. “Gimme a sec.” Dots moved both Pumpkin and Teddy off of him and got up. Teddy watched as Dots got their food out and placed the food on the plates on the floor. “Here you go.”

Pumpkin barked and jumped down and went to her food. She quickly took a few sniffs before starting to devour it. Teddy stayed on the bed, watching Dots, who was kneeling right next to Pumpkin. He still looked pale. “Ughh… I feel horrible…” Just then, there was a bell-like sound, scaring Teddy. Dost looked up and stood up before walking out of the room. Curious to what made the sound, Teddy jumped down and followed Dots.

“… Just sign here…” Teddy frowned. He didn’t recognize that voice. He peeked around a corner and saw a male-stranger at the door, holding something that Dots marked with a pencil. “Thank you.” Marco nodded and was given a small box. Teddy saw the man start to walk away, and Dots closed the door.

“Okay, it came on time…” Dots walked away from the door. “I’ll just put this in the living room for now.” Teddy went after Dots, and saw him set the box down on a low table next to a clear wall. He watched as Dots walked off to another room. Curious on what the box was, Teddy went into the room, jumped on top the table, and sniffed the box. It definitely had something that had a smell, but it wasn’t food, or any kind of animal for that matter. Teddy didn’t trust the box. Growling at it, Teddy nudged it off the table before jumping down and starting to gnaw it.

“Teddy! No!” Teddy looked up and saw Dots running over. “Don’t bite it! It isn’t yours, or mine!” Dots quickly took the box from Teddy and examined it. “… Okay, it doesn’t look damaged, so he won’t get mad at me for that…” He looked around before walking away. “Better find a safer place for this.” Dots went back in the direction of the room he was in the other night, walking at a quick pace. After a while, Teddy went after him.

Upon approaching the door, he heard Dots groan. “Oh god, I feel horrible… I just need some medicine… yeah.” Dots came back out and went into the bathroom. Teddy went after him, watching as the boy drank something. Teddy went up to Dots and caught the boy’s attention with a small whimper and bumping against his leg. “Hey, I already gave you food. You wanted to eat, right?” Dots kneeled down and scratched Teddy’s ear. Teddy couldn’t help but wag his tail. He stopped tail wagging when he heard Dots’ stomach growl. Dots heard it as well, freezing when he did. Teddy whimpered and nudged him. “I-I’m fine Teddy, I’m totally fine…” Dots winced and held his stomach. “Oww…” Teddy just became more worried and barked at Dots.

“I said I’m fine buddy, no need to worry,” Dots stated while giving Teddy a small smile. It didn’t look like a happy one though. Teddy nudged his arm and reached up to lick his face. “Fff, cut that out! It tickles~” Dots giggled, making Teddy feel a bit better about the situation. After a few seconds, Dots stopped laughing. “… I’m really going to miss you and Pumpkin… I would like to keep you guys… but Jean hates pets… and I don’t think he’ll let me see Eren again.” Teddy looked at Dots. Who was Jean? And why would he not let Dots see Eren?

After a while, Dots set Teddy to the side. “I need to get dressed.” He stood up and rubbed his arms. “Sw-sweater would be a good idea…” Teddy watched Dots leave the bathroom. Teddy, getting a bad feeling about today, whimpered before going back to the room to check on Pumpkin.

-

Eren was sitting up on the bed while lacing his boots up when Mikasa tapped his shoulder. “What is it?”

“You sure you don’t mind going alone?”

“Yep.”

“You won’t yell at him, like yesterday?”

“... I won’t,” Eren answered, mentally slapping himself for the umpteenth time since he got back to the hotel.

“Is that a ‘I won’t intentionally do it’ or a ‘I won’t yell at him unintentionally or intentionally’ answer?”

Eren froze. “I, uh…” He didn’t know how to answer, given that he had accidentally yelled at Marco two days in a row.

Mikasa sighed. “I think it would be better if Armin and I went along with you.”

“No,” Eren stated firmly. “Marco said he wasn’t feeling that great. I don’t think having a lot of people coming over will make him feel better.”

“… Do you think he really is getting sick?”

Armin, who was sitting behind Eren, interjected while leaning over to them. “It is possible that a person’s immune system can be weakened by stress or dieting. And Marco has been dieting from what we’ve seen, and an abusive relationship obviously creates stress, making it easier for him to catch a cold.”

“He might have caught a flu while walking around the other day?”

“Mmm, possibly.”

Eren and Mikasa both stared at Armin. “Possibly?”

“It’s possible that his under-eating is seriously affecting him, no bug involved. But I have no way of knowing unless I know what he’s experiencing.”

Eren growled. “Could I tell you what I see after I come back and figure it out?”

“Yeah, that could work. If he does have some kind of flu, he should have a fever, which will make him flush. And then there’s runny nose and sore throat. If he isn’t showing any of those symptoms, you may want to check… but either way, I suggest bringing him a get-well present.”

Eren blinked. “… Get-well present?”

“He doesn’t feel good, so regardless whether it’s a flu or not, you should bring him one.”

“Like what?”

“Chocolate… but then there’s the chance you may end up eating it before you even get to his place,” Armin deadpanned. “Like with my birthday present from last year.”

Eren felt himself turn red. He always had a sweet tooth, and people kept saying that when he buys them candy for a present, he usually ate whatever it was before giving it to them. “I DIDN’T EAT ALL OF THE CHOCOLATES!!”

“That’s right, there were, like, 11 salt caramel truffles left. OUT OF TWENTY PIECES.”

Growling, Eren stood up from the bed. “What time is it right now?”

“10:37. I suggest you going soon.”

“Did Reiner and the others say when they were leaving?” Reiner, Bertholdt, Krista, and Ymir had gone out earlier to get things for their trip to check on Annie. He heard Reiner say something about going at a lower speed on the way back, for the sakes of Pumpkin and Teddy. So chances were that the trip would actually take more time than the first one. So they were gonna need a lot more stuff despite the fact that there were less people.

“No. But given how quickly Reiner goes through his beef jerky, chances are he’s gonna buy town out of its entire jerky supply.”

Eren nodded. The guy loved his jerky. “Got it. Guess if I’m not back before they are, you guys give me a call when they need to go so I can bring Teddy and Pumpkin?”

Armin nodded. “Yeah.” Eren nodded back and headed to the door. “REMEMBER! DO NOT EAT THE GET-BETTER PRESENT!!”

Eren growled one final time. “I won’t!”

-

Marco re-examined himself in the mirror, making sure the bite marks or bruises on his neck were completely hidden by his turtleneck. He didn’t see anything, and when he traced his fingers over the part of his neck that was in his blind spot, he didn’t feel anything. “Okay, that’s good,” He said to himself. But he still looked pale with bags under his eyes, and still felt a bit weary. Not that he could do anything about it… And then there was the fact he had a nightmare.

He dreamed that he was… back in Jinae… in the orphanage. It started out as a memory. He and Jean were playing in the Jinae field when Jean told him he had a surprise for Marco, and placed a blindfold over his eyes. In the original memory, Jean gave him a new comic book that Marco was planning on saving money for. .

In the nightmare though… It was anything but what really happened. As soon as he had the blindfold on, he felt himself being pushed down onto a concrete floor. One like the basement back in Rose. He was still blindfolded when he was dragged to the rack and Marco felt himself being strapped down. He felt someone crawl on him then heard Jean, the one currently, telling him that he was a liar, a slut, and said that he knew Marco was planning on leaving.

All just before hollering at him about their promise. And that Marco had broken it.

Marco started begging Jean to calm down before Jean started hitting him just before Marco felt his clothes being torn away. He started begging Jean not to, saying that he would be good, just before Jean told him he was a horrible boyfriend, and that he deserved the punishment. Just when the nightmare was about to take a turn for the worst, he woke up.

He felt himself shiver, unsure if it was because of recalling the nightmare or of how cold he was. Marco spent half an hour looking for a sweater that would keep him warm while not looking too ridiculous, but he was still cold.

He was leaving the bathroom when he heard the doorbell ring the second time today. Must be Eren. Marco went to the door and opened it, seeing the short brunet standing there, looking a little flushed, with no scraps oddly. Huh, maybe they weren’t that bad after all. “H-hey Dots…” After saying that, Eren turned even redder. “MARCO! I MEAN MARCO! SORRY DO-MARCO! I-IMEANDOTS!!” The boy just stood there at the last part, a stained moan coming from him.

“Hey, I told you before, I don’t mind, so don’t worry about calling me Dots.” Marco smiled at Eren and moved out of the door. “You can come in.”

“… Uh, should I take my shoes off? I stepped in some mud on my way here, and I don’t wanna track it through the place.”

“Oh! Y-yeah, sure. Just leave them on the carpet next to the door.” He pointed to a small carpet that was next to he entrance. Eren nodded and quickly did as he was told. Marco did see some mud on the bottom of one as Eren placed it on the carpet. “S-so how are you this morning?”

“G-good, I guess… You still feeling under the weather?”

“Y-yeah, sadly.” Marco chuckled. “S-silly me.”

Eren shuffled his backpack off and pulled out a large brown box. “I, uh…. I brought you a get well gift… it’s chocolate.”

Marco stared at the box, unsure how to react. As much as Marco liked chocolates, he knew that they were against the diet… but Eren bought them because he was concerned about him. “Th-thank you.” He took the box, mentally noting to throw it away before Jean came back. As he was holding it, he noticed that it was pretty light. He raised an eyebrow and took the top off. He saw both several chocolate pieces and several empty spaces staring back at him. Both of which were about taking up the same amount of space in the box. He looked back at Eren, surprised.

“… I heard that the brand was good, but I wasn’t allowed to take samples at the store, so I taste-tested the box!” Eren turned a bright shade of pink while explaining himself.

“… I don’t think that you needed to eat half the box for a taste test though,” Marco replied.

Eren turned his gaze away. “… I also have a sweet tooth, so I might have gotten carried away.”

Marco looked back at the box. “Mm-hm.” He went over to the living room to set the box down in the coffee table. As he was setting it down, he felt the same pain in his head that he felt last night. “Ahh!” He held his head again, gritting his teeth in pain. He fell to his knees as the pain persisted.

_PLEASE NOT HERE, NOT IN FRONT OF EREN, NOT NOW NOT NOW NOT NOW NOT NOW!_

“Marco? What’s wrong?” Marco felt Eren touch his shoulders.

“It’s… just a headache,” Marco gritted out. His head rebutted his statement by throbbing in more pain. “I-it’s just part of the flu…” After a few seconds, he suddenly felt himself being set down on the sofa. “Huh?”

“Gimme a sec.” Eren reached for Marco’s forehead, laying the back of his hand against it. After a few seconds, Eren frowned and withdrew his hand. “Do you have a thermometer?”

“Uh, yeah,” Marco answered, confused on why Eren was asking.

“Can I borrow it?”

“I-Yeah, let me go get it,” Marco answered as he tried to stand up, stopping when his head throbbed again. “Ahh…”

“No, you just wait here. Just tell me where to look.”

Marco looked at Eren. “… Far left drawer in the kitchen. Past the fridge.” He pointed in the direction of the kitchen to emphasize where to go.

Eren nodded. “Okay, got it.” He got up and went into the kitchen. Marco heard something being opened and closed and saw Eren come back over, holding a small circular thermometer that Marco kept around. “Gimme a sec.” He held the thermometer against Marco’s forehead, taking it away after a small beep came from it and looked at the number that was shown on the small reading part of it. “… You don’t have a fever. Same as yesterday. If anything, your temp is a few degrees below average.” He looked back up at Marco. “What exactly have you been experiencing lately?”

“… Uh, usual flu stuff?”

“Flus are usually represented with fevers. As well as flushed skin, and no offense, but you look pretty pale instead of flushed. And then there’s also runny nose and sore throat. Have you experienced any of that?”

Marco thought for a moment, then shook his head. “N-no…”

“Huh. Can you tell me what have been experiencing then?” Marco looked away, not sure if he should tell Eren. “… Look, I don’t want to leave you feeling like crap. If I know what you’re dealing with, maybe I can help.”

“… It’s embarrassing though.”

Eren sat down next to Marco. “Hey, I won’t judge you for whatever you’re experiencing. Okay?”

Marco traced his thumb over his fingers. He wasn’t sure if Eren meant it, given how much he had already dealt with… but, he did want to get better, so it was worth a shot.“… I’ve been having headaches, stomach cramps, and…” He swallowed before continuing. “… I threw up yesterday.”

Eren nodded. “You said yesterday that you took some medicine, right?” Marco nodded. “… Is it okay if I go grab ‘em?”

Marco looked at him, confused. “Uh… sure. They’re in the bathroom, down the hall. Cabinet above the sink. It’s both a black bottle and a clear one.”

Eren quickly left and returned. “These, right?” He held the bottles for Marco to see, who nodded in confirmation. “Okay.” Eren sat back down and read the bottles carefully. While reading the bottles, Eren’s brows furrowed. “… Have you been taking the medicine without eating by any chance?”

Marco flinched. “Wh-why does it matter?”

Eren held the painkillers up, and said in a stern voice, “This kind of stuff tends to make you sick if you don’t take it with food. I know because I was on this for a while a few months ago and forgot to take them with my meals once.” Marco adverted his gaze from Eren, feeling his stern gaze. “… You haven’t.”

“… I… didn’t really read the bottles I guess… But I’m not hun-” He was cut off by the sound of his stomach growling.

“… When was the last time you ate?”

“It-it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does!” Eren’s voice became a little louder at that. “… Shit, shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell,” Eren started. “Shit shit shit!” Marco felt the weight of the sofa shift as Eren stood up. “Why do I keep yelling?”

Marco looked back at him, watching as he was running his hand through his hair. He’s been putting up with Marco too much. That’s why he was yelling. “Eren, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”

Eren looked back at Marco. “No, it’s not okay! I-I-I shouldn’t be yelling at you! You don’t deserve to be yelled at!”

Marco blinked in surprise. That was… the first time he ever heard someone tell him that. “Huh?”

“You shouldn’t have to put up with people treating you like crap! You haven’t done anything wrong!”

Marco shook his head. He had to be bothering Eren, why was he still putting up with him? He stood up and was about to walk away.“Can we just drop this-” Marco felt another headache, just he felt his head suddenly felt light. He almost fell when he felt himself stop. After a while, he realized Eren had caught him. Marco kept his gaze down, completely confused on why Eren was still helping him. “… Sorry. Sorry, sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Marco continued repeating, although he wasn’t sure why.

To his surprise, he felt Eren start rubbing his back in circles, as if to comfort him. “I should be the one apologizing, not you.” Marco stopped apologizing, and leaned in. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he was glad Eren was trying to comfort him. It was actually working too. Oddly enough, it was working better than what Jean ever did.

After a few minutes, Eren asked, “Does your head still hurt?”

“… Yes,” Marco admitted.

“… Hold on a sec, okay?”

“… Huh?” Marco then felt himself being picked up bridal style. “Wh-Eren?!”

“I’m just taking you to the pet room. There’s a bed there, right? You should lie down for a while. I’m not going to do anything bad, I promise.”

Marco looked at Eren directly and nodded. “Okay…”

As Eren started walking, Marco noticed a small flush to his face. Then he saw Eren's mouth moving. “You’re… really pretty.”

Marco blinked in confusion, not sure if was something he actually heard or was just a result of the headache. “Huh?”

“N-NOTHING!” Eren’s flush increased as he blurted that out. When he got to the pet room, Teddy barked and went up to them, running around Eren’s feet. “Hey. See someone is all wound up.” Eren went over to the bed and adjusted the pillows before setting Marco down. “Just relax here, okay?” He stood up and suddenly froze. “Ah!” He stood up straight and looked down at his pant leg. Marco tilted his head to see what it was. Pumpkin had started climbing up Eren’s pants, then his shirt, making her way to his shoulder. She started licking Eren’s ear before she started clawing and biting it. “Ow.” Eren carefully removed her and stared at her as she started biting his hand. “Why do these two keep biting me and just rub against you?”

“Dunno…”

Eren adjusted Pumpkin so she was being held in one hand. “You want the blanket?”

“Huh?” Marco then realized that he hadn’t made the bed and that the blankets were still down. “Oh, uh…” He suddenly felt a sudden chill, making him shiver. “Yeah, I want the blankets.” Eren nodded and grabbed the upper corner that was closet to him before pulling it close enough for Marco to take. When he did, Marco saw Teddy peek over the bed and watched as he jumped up, and went up to Marco before plopping down next to him. “Hey buddy.” Marco scratched the dog’s ear, earing a happy bark.

Eren set Pumpkin down next to Teddy. “Look, I’m gonna make you some lunch. Maybe if you have something in your stomach, you might feel better from the meds. Any thing in particular that you want to eat or drink?”

Marco looked up at Eren. “Uh… not really.”

“I guess I could just salvage whatever I find in the fridge? I promise to clean whatever I use.”

“S-sure.”

“Okay, holler if you need me.” He was about to go when he turned back. “Hey, I could bring the chocolates in here if you wanted to eat some now.”

Marco stayed quiet for a second. “Um, okay.”

“One second.” Eren quickly ran out then came back. “Got ‘em.” He handed Marco the box. “Don’t let Teddy get any of them, or Reiner will seriously freak when he get’s sick.”

“Okay.” Marco watched as Eren left again. He looked back at the box in hand, unsure of the situation. He heard his stomach growl again, and finally gave in. He removed the lid, and took a careful look at the remaining chocolates, getting a better look than he did earlier. They were fairly small pieces. Some had a small flower on the top that varied in color, others had an orange maple leaf, and the rest just had a small chocolate swirl that varied.

Marco’s squinted at them. They looked familiar. He then examined the lid of the box, reading the company name out of curiosity. It said “Maria’s Chocolates”, in full capital letters. He blinked when he saw a small bird that was sitting in the first C of chocolates. He instantly recognized it as the brand his mom bought.

\--

_Marco was playing with a toy rabbit as he sat on the highchair next to the table. He then heard his mother’s voice from behind. “Surprise Marco!”_

_Marco looked up and saw his mother’s face. “Mamá! Hola!” He giggled as he tried out some of his Spanish. “Cómo está mamá?”_

_“Estoy bien,” Mama said as she went around. “Look what I got for us today!” She set her purse down on the table and opened it up, pulling a small box out. “Chocolates!”_

_“YAY!” Marco raised his hands in the air when he saw the bird in the C that was on the box._

_Mama smiled and sat down besides Marco. “Remember what we call bird in Spanish?_

_Marco thought for a second. “Pajarito!”_

_“Sí!” She opened up the box and picked out a piece. “Here, take as many as you want!”_

_“Okay!” Marco reached for the chocolates with one hand as he held his rabbit in the other, and ended up grabbing about three before bringing it to his mouth. Two of the pieces fell onto his lap, which his mother picked up, and the third was messily eaten._

_“Marco, you’re so adorable,” his mother laughed before kissing his nose._

_Marco hid his face behind his hands, giggling._

\--

Marco felt himself choke up a bit while recalling his mom. It had been so long since he’d though about her. She insisted on Marco calling her Mama instead of Mommy or Mom to keep in touch with his Colombian heritage, since both of her parent’s were from Bogota. She also helped him learn how to say a few terms in Spanish. She did speak English fluently, but insisted on Marco learning Spanish. Luckily, he was able to understand what she was teaching him before she died.

When he was in the orphanage, there was no one who spoke Spanish. He tried to take some Spanish classes at school, but the classes were always terrible for some reason, regardless of where he went. Even after he left Jinae. As of where his Spanish language skills were now… Jean disapproved of Marco speaking Spanish.

\--

_Marco was quietly listening to a Spanish album he had on his phone, trying to relax as he traced his fingers over the bandages that covered his palm. He had accidentally broke several glasses earlier, cutting himself, and Jean had dragged him up to his room before locking him in. He heard footsteps coming up the stair. Alarmed, Marco sat up from the chair. He saw Jean at the door, approaching him. “Jean, I’m sor-” He was cut off by a sudden slap, which made Marco raise his hands for protection. As he did, he dropped his phone._

_Jean was about to slap again when he noticed the falling phone. He looked down at the phone before picking it up. “What the hell are you listening to this time?”_

_“S-some Spanish music.”_

_“Why? I told you before I don’t understand it, so why bother listening to it?”_

_“… I can understand some of it though,” Marco said. “R-remember? My mom was Colombian.”_

_To his horror, he saw Jean’s frown get bigger. He felt another slap come across his face before being forced onto the bed._

_“YOU LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW!!” Jean pinned Marco down by his wrists with both hands as he continued yelling. “I DON’T GIVE A FUCK IF YOUR MOM WAS COLOMBIAN, IT ISN’T A REASON FOR YOU TO BE LISTENING OR SPEAKING IN SOME LANGUAGE I DON’T UNDERSTAND!”_

_“Jean, please, I’m begging you,” Marco began sobbing, “Please just listen, please!” He felt one of Jean’s hands let go of one of his wrist before Jean punched him._

_“SHUT UP!!” Marco felt himself being punched a few more times until it gradually stopped. Marco let several heaved sobs escape when he realized it, praying that he won’t be dragged to the basement for a punishment. He then felt Jean gently pick up the hand with the bandages.”Shh, shh…” He held Marco’s palm tenderly against his lips. Marco fought the urge to pull away, fearing he would make Jean mad again. “Marco,” Jean murmured gently, “You love me, right?”_

_“Y-yes.”_

_“Then, you will do anything for me, right? The way any couple would.”_

_“Yes,” Marco answered._

_“… In that case, stop with the Spanish crap. Or any other language that I don’t understand.” Jean leaned in closer. “I want to be able to understand everything you say, so just forget speaking it. For me.”_

_Marco hesitated before nodding. “Okay…”_

\--

Marco looked down as he recalled that day. That was two years ago. Jean took his phone and deleted all of his music that were in Spanish afterwards, and threw out any books that were either printed in Spanish or taught Spanish in general.

It was… so different from when they lived together at the orphanage. Jean would try to understand the basics that Marco knew, even though it never stuck with him for some reason. Jean didn’t mind listening Marco practicing his Spanish, and even got him a dictionary that Marco used for several years… until Jean threw it out.

_He changed so much since then… why?_

Marco felt tears form at his eyes, but they didn’t fall. “… What did I do wrong?” There was a small whine from Teddy, but Marco didn’t pay much mind to it. “What did I do to make this happen?”

Another headache came, but this time was coupled with another stomach cramp, making him wince. “Oww…” Not wanting to deal with this now, Marco set the box on the floor and curled up, holding the blankets closer as well as cover him up.

“… Please… someone… tell me.”

-

Eren sighed as he finished searching the kitchen. There was hardly anything in the fridge. Just some cheese, several kinds of vegetables, yogurt, and some beer bottles that were stashed to the side in a box in the fridge’s door. Marco didn’t strike Eren as someone who drank, so he figured the beer must be Jean’s. There was a bowl on the counter top that had a few apples, kiwis, and oranges in it, and a bag of sliced bread that looked like it was barely touched. He glanced at the sink and saw that there were no dishes. Eren went over to the dishwasher and opened it, and saw that it was completely empty and clean. Not even any soap residue.

_I doubt Marco ate any breakfast. Or dinner for that matter. Guess Armin was probably right about the under eating thing. But the meds he’s been taking may still be messing him up._

Eren closed the dishwasher and looked back at the fridge. “What the hell can I make with this stuff…” He huffed and scratched his head. “I guess I could make some kind of fruit salad with some cheese, and maybe some kind of vegetable-cheese bake?” No other ideas came to mind. “Guess so. But the last one sounds gross… and I have no idea what to do for a bake anyway.” He went to the cabinet to see what dishes were available. There were a few plates stacked on each other, and several glasses. “Okay, I can work with this.” Eren grabbed a plate before setting it down.

Eren had finished with the salad when his phone went off. He reached into his pocket to get it, but found that the wallet was blocking it. Eren cursed silently as he had to take his wallet out and set it down on the counter before he finally fished the phone out of his pocket and saw Armin’s number lashing. Eren quickly answered it and shoved his wallet back in his pocket. “Hey.”

“Is everything okay over there?”

“Well, I’m fine, and Teddy and Pumpkin seem to be fine as well. Marco… he definitely is feeling bad, but it isn’t flu. I think it’s possible you were right about the under-eating, but he hasn’t been taking medicine properly either. He had both flu/cold medicine and painkillers, and the painkillers the kind you’re supposed to take it with food.”

“Hmm, that could be another possibility of why he feels bad, but do you know what he’s experiencing exactly?”

“He said headaches, stomach cramps, and that he threw up yesterday. He’s also a lot paler than before… and he looked a little tired.”

“Huh. I think that the medicines might have caused the vomiting, but for stomach cramps and headaches can come from either the dieting or meds, or both. But if he’s been feeling tired, then that would probably be due to his metabolism slowed down because of a decrease of calories, and it’s trying to save what it has left. But if he stopped dieting, he should return to normal health.”

“Glad to hear some good news,” Eren sighed. “Hey, do you have any ideas what I can do with vegetables and cheese?”

“Why are you asking?”

“… I’m making some lunch for Marco. He barely has anything in the kitchen, so I’m using what I have. Any suggestions?”

“Sorry, don’t have anything. Nothing’s coming to mind.”

Eren sighed. Might as well forget the bake idea. “Thanks anyway.”

“Hey, did you get him a get well present by the way?”

“Yes.”

“Did you leave it uneaten?” Eren didn’t respond. “YOU ATE IT.”

“Not all of it!!”

“Eren, no! That is beyond not okay! We’re going to be talking about this later! You better make it up to him later on!”

Armin was right. “… I will,” Eren answered.

“… Wow, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say that without a 30 minute long debate.” Eren stared off into space, unimpressed. “By the way, Bertholdt called earlier. He said Reiner’s looking for a few more things, and to let them know if Levi tries to call us. I’ll let you know if anything else happens.”

“Got it,” Eren said. “See ya.”

“Bye.” Armin disconnected the call.

Eren turned to the salad he made “I guess I better bring this to him… maybe I can order a pizza for him or something.” Eren quickly grabbed a fork and knife, filled a glass with water, and carefully balanced them on the plate with the salad. When he got back to the pet room, he saw that Marco had curled up in bed, Teddy whimpering with worry. “Marco?” Eren started to worry and went over to the bed. Did he have another panic attack? He noticed the chocolate box was on the floor, and slowly set the plate and glass down on it before turning his gaze back at Marco. “What’s wrong?” Eren reached out to touch Marco’s shoulder.

“N-nothing.” Marco sat up in the bed, pulling away from Eren and facing the opposite side of the room, but still had the blankets cover him.

“Doesn’t sound like nothing.” Eren sat on the edge of the bed.

“It-it’s stupid.”

“Doubt it. And even if it is, I’m usually forced to listen to stupid stuff on a more-or-less daily basis. Usually from my friend Connie.”

Marco didn’t respond, leaving the room silent until Pumpkin went up to Marco and chirped at him. She then started climbing the blankets that were covering him from behind. “H-hey, be careful,” Marco told her as she continued up to the top of his head. Pumpkin chirped again before the blankets started slipping off, taking her down with them.

Eren caught her just as the blankets came off Marco’s head completely, showing his black hair. Marco nearly turned around but stopped and faced back to the front. Eren held Pumpkin close to him before reaching for Marco’s shoulder. “Hey, you can tell me. Whatever it is. I mean, I understand if you still don’t trust me … but I do trust you.”

“… You… really trust me?”

“Yeah.” Eren set Pumpkin down and felt her jump of the bed, probably going back to her food.

“… You…” Marco stopped, shifting a bit, bringing his hands up to his face. “You think… I’m a good person?”

“I do.”

Eren heard a small sob from Marco. “Oh …” Marco leaned forward, and made a small sound. Eren wasn’t sure if it was laughter or crying. Might be both. “You think I’m good. You-you really do?”

Eren nodded. He had to give Marco encouragement and help validate him, like Levi said. “Yes. I have since when we met. I’m not trying to sound cheesy, but I mean it.” Eren felt a small flush come to his face. It was slow though, like yesterday. Eren wasn’t able to pinpoint why though.

There was some more of the laughter-crying sound from Marco. “Eren… AHHH!!” Marco suddenly screamed, grabbing his head. Eren leaned closer, worried. “Hurts… my head hurts… Painkillers.” Marco turned to face Eren, who then saw that Marco’s eyes were a little red and moist, confirming that he was crying. “ “Eren, please, I-I think I need the painkillers,” Marco started in an alarmed tone. “Please, it hurts.”

“Just lay back, I don’t think it’s a good idea to take any more painkillers right now.” Eren said as he gently guided Marco back to the pillow.

“But it hurts.”

“It’s dangerous to take too many in a short amount of time, and you haven’t been taking them correctly, so let’s just lay off the pills for a while. I did brought you water, which should help.”

Marco looked up at Eren. “… Okay.” Eren nodded before grabbing the glass and handing it to Marco. “Thank you.” Marco carefully drank from it until all the water was gone.

“Still have the headache?”

“… A little bit… but it does fell better.”

“Want me to get some more water?”

Marco looked at Eren. “S-sure, thank you.” He handed Eren the glass before looking at the salad plate that was still on the floor. He slowly lifted it to his lap and took the fork, starting to eat.

Eren quickly left to refill the glass and came back. When he did, he saw Marco was still eating. That was good. “Hey, got more water.” He gave the glass to Marco, who smiled in thanks. Eren looked down at the chocolate box. “Uh, I guess the chocolates weren’t to your taste.”

Marco stopped drinking and looked down. “… That’s not it… I just didn’t have any… I had a headache and stomach after you left, so I decided to leave it for later…”

“Oh, got it... but you do know chocolate helps after a dementor attack, right?”

There was a faint laugh from Marco at the joke. “Yeah, I know.” He stopped laughing and set his glass down on the floor. “… My mom used to by the brand a lot. Of the chocolate I mean.”

Eren blinked in surprise. “She did?”

“Yeah. She usually got the smaller boxes, but she did get the larger ones for special events…”

“… What about your dad?” Eren tilted his head in curiosity.

“…I don’t really know. My dad… he…” There was a long pause before Marco continued. “He died before she did. I… I don’t remember him. I was almost a year old.”

“… Sorry. That really sucks.” That meant Marco’s mom was on her own while raising him. “It must have been tough for the both of you.”

“… We had to move so that she could find a job that paid enough. I didn’t realize it when she was alive though…”

Eren fidgeted before asking, “How old were you when she died?”

“… Five.” Marco’s voice broke when saying that.

Eren let that sink in. Five. Marco’s only parent was living with him for only five years. That’s half of how long Eren still had both of his parents. He then recalled that Marco said he knew for Jean for nine years. That meant he was eight when they first meant. Three years after his mother died.

_Wait a sec… Marco said that they were separate for three years… then they found each other again. And been together since then._

Eren realized that Jean was probably the only thing that came back in his life from long time ago. Eren combed his hair with his hand. Now it made a bit more sense on why Marco may still be with Jean. Jean was the only thing that was still constant in his life. If Marco had any relatives who cared, they would have taken him in instead of letting him live with Jean.

_… What will happen when Jean dies though? Will he get sent to one of those boarding schools?_

He heard Teddy whine and saw that the dog was trying to snuggle with Marco, probably aware that he was sad. “T-Teddy, pfft,” Marco managed to say as Teddy smooshed his fur against Marco’s face as he started bouncing up and down, making the plate slide out of Marco’s lap. Eren caught it before the salad fell out. “Silly boy,” Marco said as he finally hugged the dog. There was a faint smile on his face again as he held Teddy. “Sweet thing.” Teddy started licking the boy’s face, making him giggle a bit.

Eren then heard Pumpkin and saw that she had climbed back up to the bed and watched as she went up to Marco before she sat in his lap and started purring like a motorboat. “Pumpkin, you too?” She chirped at Marco in response. Marco lowered one of his hands to pet her, which she nipped at playfully. “No you silly,” Marco laughed as she nibbled him.

He laughed for a while longer until stopping. “… Are you going to need help carrying their stuff out of here?”

Eren shook his head. “Nah. I can just carry the stuff like I did last time, and there’s less food to carry.”

“What about the litter box?”

Eren looked at the small box in the corner of the room. “I can just empty the box and take it with me with me.”

“Are you sure you don’t need help with it?”

“Yeah, besides, I don’t want to push you if you’re not feeling good.”

Marco nodded. “Alright, if you insist.”

He then wince again, probably another ache-attack. “Oww…” Teddy nudged Marco and licked his temple. “You trying to make the headache go away buddy?” Teddy continued licking him and began messing up his bangs. “Not the hair,” Marco said jokingly.

Eren continued watching Marco as Teddy was licking him and then saw Pumpkin had gotten up and went over to the litter box before heading to her food bowl and watched as she curled up in it and fell asleep.

_Cats are so weird._

Eren then remembered about the pizza. “Oh, Marco? I noticed you didn’t have much in your fridge, so I was wondering if you wanted to order something to eat. Pizza?”

Marco froze at the mention of ordering something. “N-no. No. I-I don’t like take-out.”

Eren sighed. “Okay. Better finish that salad before the lettuce gets wilted then.” He picked up the plate and offered it to Marco.

Marco nodded and set Teddy down, who stayed close to Marco as he took the plate and resumed eating. After a few minutes, the entire plate was empty. “Thanks. That was pretty good.”

“Nah, no thanks needed. Want me to clean your plate?”

“Sure.” Marco handed him the plate with the fork and Eren quickly went back to the kitchen. Quickly cleaning both and putting them back, Eren grabbed an apple and went back to the room. “Still hungry?”

“… A little.”

“Here.” He tossed Marco the apple, who seemed surprised by the action but managed to catch it.

Marco examined the apple before taking a bite out of it. Some juice ended up on his chin, which Teddy instantly tried to lick off, which made the boy laugh. “Teddy, no! Cut-cut that out!” Teddy barked at him and started licking him again. “At this rate, I’m not going to be able to wash your drool off,” Marco said in between the laughter before he fell over.

Eren felt his flush come back while hearing Marco’s laughter. He was just noticing it for the first time, but it was rather pleasing to hear. He couldn’t place his finger on why though. Marco grunted as Teddy suddenly flopped down on him, trapping his arm. “Teddy, Teddy off.” Teddy grunted back. “Uh, Eren, if you could, distract him with his squeaky egg, that would be great.”

“Squeaky egg?” Eren looked around and spotted it in one of the beds he got. He grabbed it and squeezed it. As soon as it squeaked, Teddy stood up and looked at with wide eyes. Eren squeezed it again, and suddenly Teddy started barking manically and charged before jumping up and snatching the toy out of Eren’s hand. “Wow, rude,” he commented as he watched the dog chew on it like nuts.

He looked back at Marco, who was eating the apple again before raising his hand to his forehead. “Damn, it’s not going away…”

“… Maybe a dementor _did_ get you,” Eren commented. He went around the bed and picked up the chocolate box. Eren sat down and opened the box then offered it to Marco. “Come on. It won’t kill you.”

“… Let me finish the apple first.”

“Kay.” He turned away for several minutes, listening to the sound of Marco eating. It was rather quiet, as if he was afraid of making to much noise… Just like mom. She had a very similar habit with eating. She never spoke with her mouth full as well.

Eventually, he heard Marco say, “I’m done.”

Eren looked at him and saw that the apple was pretty much eaten to the core. “Okay. Lemme pitch this for you.” Eren took the apple core and threw it to the trashcan in the room, getting it in without having it hit anything else. “Bull’s-eye.” He offered Marco the chocolates again. He saw Marco stare at it, clearly still hesitant. “Um, the ones with the flowers-”

“Have fruit flavors, but they vary based on the color, the ones with the maple leaves are maple, and the rest are caramel.”

Eren blinked when he heard Marco’s response. That was all correct.“… How did you know?”

“I… remember.”

“That’s amazing!”

“Huh?”

“Well, you remembered the flavors from a long time ago, and I can’t even remember what kind of cake I had for my birthday from two years ago. So, to remember something like that, it’s amazing.”

A small flush came to Marco’s face. “Th-thanks.”

Eren nodded. “So, you have a favorite of the flavors?”

“… The caramels.”

“Armin likes caramel too.”

_Which made things worse when I ate some of his present last year._

Marco smiled and slowly moved his hands and picked one of the caramel chocolates up. He inspected it for a moment before finally taking a bite. As he was chewing, he made a small laugh. “They still taste the same.”

“Guess I got the good stuff then.” When Eren was at the store, he was seriously debating whether or not to by the box because it was $30 total. He considered buying another box that was the same size but less money, but he decided to go with the more expensive one because it had more pieces.

“Yeah, you did.” Marco ate the rest of the chocolate piece before turning back to the box. At a faster speed this time, he picked one of the maple flavors out and this time popped the whole thing in his mouth, before eating some more pieces. Eren saw that his smile had become bigger, which made him smile a bit more as well.

Teddy then decided to enter the scene by plunging his nose into the box and started eating some of the chocolate. “AH! TEDDY NO!!” Marco moved the box away from the dog and quickly scooped Teddy up in his arms, who was still had some of the chocolates in his mouth. “SPIT IT OUT!!” Marco looked at Eren and yelped, “DON’T JUST STAND THERE, HELP ME OUT!!”

“Got it!” Eren held Teddy’s mouth and tried to get it open to get the chocolates out. Teddy growled at Eren to get him to let go.

“Teddy, chocolate is bad for you! You’ll get sick!” The mutt looked up at Marco with wide eyes when he heard him say that. He then turned his head back to the front and spat the chocolate out… on Eren’s thigh.

“Aw shit!!” Eren looked at the dog slobber-chocolate mush on his pants. He glared at the dog, who was feigning that innocent look of his. “You did that on purpose,” Eren accused Teddy, who merely cocked his head to the side. “Little bastard.”

“I’m so sorry Eren,” Marco apologized, “I had no idea that would happen!”

“It’s the dog who should be apologizing, not you,” Eren replied. “Is there a tissue box or something in here?”

“Next to the lamp.” Marco pointed to the wall where a lamp and tissue box sat on a night table.

“Thanks.” Eren stood up and held up the leg with the slobber on it in front of himself, and hopped on one leg over to the night table.As soon as he reached the tissue box, he pulled out as many tissues as possible and cleaned his pants.

When he was done, he heard that Marco was snickering. Eren looked back at Marco, who had covered his face with one of his hands, clearly trying to hide his laughter. Marco peeked out of his hands and looked at Eren. “Fff, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but I can’t-” Marco hid his face again as he continued laughing. “I can’t help it, it’s too much,” Marco confessed.

“What, this?” Eren continued to hop around on one leg in the same way he did a moment ago, which made Marco laugh some more.

“Mercy, mercy!” Marco fell completely back down on his bed as he continued laughing.

“Yeah, I got first place in my elementary hopping contest,” Eren joked as he hopped over to the trashcan and then to the bed. “You could say it was what I was hopping for.”

“Oh my god,” Marco managed to say between his laughter. “That has to be one of the worst puns I have ever heard.”

“Well, you liked it, given your laughter.” Eren sat back down on the bed.

Marco continued laughing for a few more minutes, hugging his stomach. “You dork~”

Eren smiled at him. “Is the headache gone now?”

Marco blinked. “… Actually… yeah.”

“That’s good. What about your stomach? Any pain there?”

“… No.”

“Glad to hear that.” Eren’s eye then landed on the chocolate box, which Marco had shoved away when Teddy started eating out of it. He looked inside it and saw that some of the chocolates were broken, or had slobber/dog mucus on them. “Uh, I’m just going to throw out the ones with the damaged ones and has… whatever isn’t chocolate on them.”

“… Alright.”

Eren took the box over to the trashcan and picked out the dirty/slobbery ones and tossed them. He quickly checked the remaining chocolates to see if they were good. Yep, still good. But now there was less than a quarter of the box left.

_Note to self, get him apology gifts._

“Teddy, you don’t go eating chocolates, they’re bad for animals.” Turning back, Eren watched as Teddy whimpered and snuggled up with Marco. “I forgive you,” Marco told the dog calmly. Just then, Pumpkin’s chirp caught Marco’s attention. “Pumpkin, careful.” Eren saw her head appear over the edge of the bed and saw that she was climbing up the side. She then crawled her way to Marco and squeaked again as she settled down against Marco before falling asleep again.

_Yeah, cats are weird._

Eren then noticed Marco’s eyes were starting to droop. “You tired?”

“I feel tired, but…” Marco rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get them to stay open, “I took a nap around 5, then I woke up around the time you texted… then I fell asleep again after that, and woke up this morning. That’s too much sleep for one day, right?”

“Not if you’re not feeling great,” Eren told him.

Marco opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Teddy rolled over to Marco’s stomach to lay on his back, falling asleep instantly. “Okay, animals are weird as fuck,” Eren told Marco. “They just choose the weirdest sleeping positions. Not as weird as Bertholdt’s sleeping positions, but geeze.”

Marco raised an eyebrow at Eren. “What do you mean by Bertholdt’s sleeping positions?”

“He can never stay still while asleep. He will just roll around and get in the strangest positions while asleep,. There have been times when we have sleepovers and someone nearly suffocates because he rolls on them… Or he snuggles up with someone besides Reiner. One time he fell off the top of a bunk bed and was still asleep when he rolled out to the hallway. With his blankets.”

Marco’s eyes widened and he stared in silence before saying, “Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“… And Reiner isn’t bothered by it?”

“You kidding me? Gives him a better excuse to sleep with him so he can hold him and keep him still… or try anyway.”

Marco turned his head away. “…That’s nice.” Eren detected a bit of jealousy in his reply. He then saw Marco was starting to nod off again. “Nng, I don’t want to fall asleep again…”

Eren rubbed his chin before asking, “Want me to wake you up?”

“Wh-what?”

“You can take a nap, and I wake you after an hour or so? My friends aren’t leaving yet, so I have plenty of time before I need to take the pets.”

Marco stared at Eren. “… You… don’t mind? Staying with me?”

“Nah. Plus, gives me more time away from the others. God knows what shenanigans they got themselves in by now.”

Marco giggled lightly at Eren’s statement. “Can’t be that bad.”

Eren shrugged. “So, are you okay with me hanging ‘round?”

Marco looked at Eren carefully, before nodding. “Yes.”

Eren smiled at him before bringing the blankets that were on Marco up to the freckled boy’s chin. “Here. Don’t want you to get cold.”

Marco took the blankets from Eren. “Thank you.” He was really drifting off after a while, but hadn’t really fallen asleep. “… Eren?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask if you have an idea of what you want the person for you to be like?”

Eren blinked. “Uh… I guess I would want them to be someone who treats others right. I really don’t give a fuck about how they identify themselves… or how they look really. Other than that, I really have no idea. Never bothered thinking about that kind of stuff.”

Marco smiled as his eyes were closing. “… I think you’d make a wonderful boyfriend.”

_… What?_

Eren didn’t say anything, and Marco soon fell asleep completely. Looking at Marco as he was sleeping, Eren reached out for him and ran his thumb over his cheek. Marco was so soft… After a moment, Eren realized what he was doing and retreated his hand and slapped himself a few times.

_WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?! I CAN’T JUST TOUCH DOTS LIKE THAT! FUCK, WHY AM I STILL CALLING HIM THAT?!_

He gripped his hair in confused frustration and silently screamed. After a few minutes, he bit his lip and looked back at Marco, and slowly let go of his hair. Marco seemed so calm… it was actually a relief to see him relaxing.

Figuring he better make sure he had both Teddy and Pumpkin’s stuff ready to take so Marco wouldn’t have to help, Eren stood up from the bed and started gathering everything.

-

“Marco… Marco.” Marco felt something tap his shoulder. “Marco, wake up.”

“Mmrmm…” Marco forced his eyes to open. He saw Eren leaning over him. “… Eren?” He tried to sit up, but felt that the two pets were still on him. Marco looked at them and shook his head and started to pet them. “How long was I asleep?”

“About an hour.”

Marco stared at Eren in shock. “… Felt longer than that.”

“… You feeling okay?”

Marco shuffled a bit. “Yeah. I am.” After a few seconds, he heard Pumpkin make a small kitty-growl before opening her eyes and looking at Marco’s hand. She proceeded with nibbling it, making Marco wince. “Oof, her bites are getting stronger.” He tried to take his hand away, but she held it with her tiny paws and kept nibbling him.

“Want me to get her off?”

“Yes please.”

“Kay.” As Eren lowered his hand to pick her up, Pumpkin suddenly jumped at him, trying to get him with her claws. “WHOA!!” Eren stumbled back. Looking at him, Pumpkin tried to pounce on him, but she missed her target by a few feet. “Yeesh, I don’t know how Bertholdt does it.” Eren picked her up and she chirped at him as he held her against his chest.

Marco finally managed to sit up, although Teddy accidentally slid off him, waking him up. There was a small whine from the puppy before he saw Marco and started licking him. “Fff, Te-ddy~” Marco picked the dog up and held him close. “You’re so cute.” Teddy happily barked at Marco before doing his usual nuzzling.

As Teddy’s fur blocked Marco’s vision for a while, he heard Eren’s phone go off. He looked at the shorter boy, who pulled out his phone and checked something. “… Sorry, but I need to go now. Reiner and the others are ready to go.”

“… Oh, that’s right.” Marco stood up from the bed and held Teddy close. “Do you want me to help you with carrying the stuff?”

“Nah, I already got all that stuff together.” Eren tilted his head to the side and saw that everything had already been gathered in several bags. “Figured I better take care of it while you and the other two out.”

“Okay. Do you want Teddy to wear his leash?”

“I guess so.” Eren went to the bags he had ready and pulled out the leash. “Here.” He went over to Marco and tried to put the leash on Teddy. However, Teddy tried biting Eren’s hand as he saw it reaching for his collar. “Hey, knock that off!” Eren kept trying to get to the little hook where the leash was suppose to be attached, but Teddy continued his protests. “Geeze, you jerk.”

“Let me try.” Marco set Teddy down on the bed and took the leash from Eren. When he tried, Teddy whimpered at him sadly and tucked his tail and flattened is ears, as if begging him not to. “Teddy, I’m sorry, but you can’t stay with me,” Marco told the puppy and finally got the leash attached, but as he was pulling his hand away, Teddy started licking it, still whimpering. Marco felt his heart break as the dog continued begging. But he couldn’t give in. “I’m… I’m so sorry.” He picked Teddy up once again and kissed his forehead in apology.

He turned to Eren, who was picking up the bags with all the pet supplies. He was adjusting a bag that was slung over his shoulder while putting Pumpkin in one of his pockets, making sure she wouldn’t fall out.

“Is it okay if I see you out?”

Eren turned his head to see Marco. “Yeah.” Eren started heading for the door with Marco following him, still holding the sad Teddy. As they got to the front door, Eren looked back at Marco. “Hey, would you mind if I swing by later? Just to check in on you?”

“… No, I should be fine. Maybe I just need some time to myself so I can feel better.” Marco held the leash out for Eren to take, and took one final look at Teddy before setting him down. The dog flattened his ears again as his feet touched the ground. “Please be good to him and everyone else. Promise me, okay?” He scratched the dog’s ears and stood up. Marco looked at Pumpkin and heard a small squeak from her. “You be good too, okay Pumpkin?” Marco smiled at her and looked back at Eren. “Guess this is good-bye.”

Eren looked down for a moment before looking back up. “Yeah. Hope you feel better soon. Remember, be sure to eat something before taking any medicine.”

Marco smiled weakly at him. “Alright.”

“And feel free to call me if you need anything. Food, drinks, movies, you name it.”

Marco blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Don’t want you starving to death.”

Marco chewed his lower lip. “… I’ll think about it.” That was a lie. He knew he couldn’t ask Eren for anything else.

“Okay.” Eren opened the door and said, “See you later.” With that, he nudged Teddy outside and closed the door.

Marco stared at the door, now completely alone. Processing what Eren just said

_See you later._

“… I’m sorry Eren…” Marco held his hands as he said those words. There was no way Jean would let Marco see him again. He had pressed too many buttons. He knew that there was no way he would be let out of the apartment for several days when Jean came back tonight, and his phone will probably be cleared of Eren’s contact number, maybe even be disabled. “I… I can’t see you again…”

-

“Come on Teddy,” Eren told the small dog as he nudged him further down the sidewalk. The dog continued his whining, clearly sad from being taken away from Marco. “I promise, in a few days, you can be with Marco again, okay?” Teddy’s head perked up and looked at Eren with wide eyes. “But you have to wait. There’s a few things we’ll have to do before then.”

_Like killing someone._

Teddy barked at Eren and jumped in glee of the news. Glad that he was now a bit more cooperative, Eren continued leading him to the parking lot where he was suppose to meet up with everyone and eventually saw the car and everyone else around, or inside, it. Before Eren realized what happened, Armin went up to him and smacked him. “Ow!”

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! EATING HIS GET-WELL CHOCOLATES, GREAT MOVE EREN!!”

“I thought I should taste-test them!”

“You should have bought two boxes in that case!!”

“HEY, TEDDY ATE SOME TOO AND DESTROYED OVER HALF OF WHAT WAS LEFT!!”

“HE WHAT?!” Eren saw Reiner pop his head out of the car in horror. “YOU KNOW DOGS CAN’T EAT CHOCOLATE! IT’S POISON TO THEM!!”

“Neither on of us fed him, he got to the box on his own! And he ended up spitting most of what he ate out!!” Eren heard Teddy growl in mockery. “You, zip it.”

“HAS HE BEEN VOMITING?! DIAHRREA?!”

“No Reiner,” Eren told the larger boy, “He hasn’t.”

“… Lemme see.” Reiner crawled out of the car and came over to look at the small dog. “… Hmm…” Reiner continued examining the dog, earning an uncomfortable growl. “… Okay. But I’ll have my mom test him just to be safe.” There was then the typical chirp from Pumpkin, catching Reiner’s attention. “Pumpkin, baby, hello!” He pulled her out of Eren’s jacket pocket and held her. “Did you miss Daddy and Mommy? You didn’t eat any chocolates, right?” He then paused and looked at Eren. “Right?”

“Nope.”

“Good. I’d have no choice but to maim you if you let that happen.”

_I can’t tell if he meant it or if it’s just one of his jokes._

Reiner then took the leash from Eren. “Put the pet supplies in the middle row, in the middle.”

“Got it.” As Eren went to the car, he saw that they had bought several bags of what looked like beef jerky, pet food, water bottles, potato chips, gummy foods, sodas, and a few other things that Eren couldn’t tell what exactly. He set the pet stuff he had down before he saw a stuffed blue bird toy in the front seat.

_Is that for Annie?_

Eren got out of the car and looked at Reiner. “So you guys will give us a call as soon as you get to the hospital?”

“Yeah. If you guys need to call us while we’re driving, just don’t call my phone. You know, can’t talk and drive.”

“We know that.”

“Ymri, stop eating the chocolate bars!”

Eren rotated his head and saw Krista frowning at her girlfriend, who had two open chocolate wrappers in her hand, and some chocolate smudged on her face. “Just making sure it’s safe for you.”

“You ate some at the store though!”

“Just double checking… care to help me with cleaning?” Krista rolled her eyes and punched Ymir’s arm, earning a short laugh.

“Is that everything?” Mikasa was carrying another bag into the car and passed Eren.

“Yeah, now we just need to wait for Bert.”

Eren then looked around, and realized that the tallest one wasn’t around. “Where is he?”

“Restroom.”

“Ah.”

After several minutes of waiting, Bertholdt was finally spotted running out of the hotel building. “Sorry I took so long!”

“No problem,” Reiner assured him and then held Pumpkin up to him. “Look, our baby’s here! Pumpkin, say hi to Mommy!” As soon as the usual peep came from her, Reiner continued. “Yes, Mommy is going to hold you for the whole ride, and breastfeed you when you get hungry!”

“REINER!!”

Eren stopped listening as Reiner continued his flirting, and looked at Teddy, who had trotted up to the car. Teddy had a face of what could be considered utter confusion. “You don’t want to know.”

“Okay, time to go if we don’t want to get stuck in heavy traffic.” Krista walked up to Teddy and picked the small puppy up. “Say by to Eren, Teddy.” Teddy simply stuck his tongue out at Eren in response, making both him and Krista roll their eyes. She went into the minivan and carefully held Teddy in her lap and closed the door.

Ymir got in after her, and Bertholdt went around the car to get in the front passenger seat. Eren felt Reiner slap both of his shoulder before telling him, “Good luck.” With that, he got in the car and drove it away.

Eren stared in silent confusion before turning to Armin and Mikasa. “… Good luck on what?”

Armin shrugged before reaching into Eren’s pocket. “Let’s go get something to eat, shall we?”

“Hey, give that back!!”

“I will, give me a…” As Armin was looking in his wallet when he frowned. “Uh, Eren? Don’t you usually keep the photo of you and your mom in here?”

Alarm bells went off in Eren’s head as soon as he heard that question. “IT’S NOT THERE?!” He immediately took the wallet from Armin and searched it. Everything else was there, except for the picture of him and his mom. He kept it in his wallet whenever he was away from home, and always made sure never to take it out, and it was almost impossible for it to fall out when the wallet was closed. “Where?! It was in here this morning!”

“Eren, calm down,” Mikasa told him. “Think of all the places you went to that you took your wallet out.”

“Uh, store, and I made sure I still had it when I left…” As he was running through his memory track, he then recalled that he took his wallet out over at Marco’s place. “AH! I had to take it out of my pocket while I was at Marco’s! I placed it on the counter before putting it away! It might have opened up enough for the picture to fall out!”

“Okay, so it’s more than likely at his place, just go back there then.”

Eren bit his lips, recalling that Marco asked to be left alone. “… He said he wanted some time to be by himself today though.”

Mikasa nodded. “Okay, then be sure to call him tomorrow and ask if you can come by then.”

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

-

Marco was cleaning a small bowl he had eaten a small salad out of. He had another massive headache a while ago and decided to take another painkiller, but made sure to eat this time. He was surprised by how little there actually was to eat in his kitchen, making him wonder when the last time he went to the food store was. Marco tried making the same salad Eren made him earlier, but he didn’t have enough fruit.

He glanced over at the clock in the kitchen. 7:52. Jean was going to be back soon. Oddly, he hadn’t made any calls to Marco, which made the boy nervous. It had been rather quiet, and it was also making the discomfort grow. Marco had thrown away anything that would indicate that anyone else had came by. That included the chocolates Eren brought him... He felt bad for throwing out Eren’s gift, but it was too risky too keep it.

As he was putting the bowl back in place, Marco saw something that seemed… out of place. On the counter. Frowning, Marco went over to it and picked it up. It was a small picture, and it clearly wasn’t his. It had Eren in it, who seemed to be 10 years old, with a woman who looked an awful lot like him and was hugging Eren from behind. “Is… is this his mom?” Marco examined it a little more, before he realized Eren must have accidentally left it here.

“Oh god, what do I do? I-I can’t throw this out!” Marco looked around before heading to his bedroom. He opened his nightstand and fished around to see if there was anything he could hide it in. His hand soon pulled out an old novel he had before placing it in there. He placed the book towards the very back of the draw. Marco sighed and closed the drawer. Now he had a new dilemma though. Marco had to give the picture back to Eren. It wasn’t his to keep, but there was no way Jean would ever let him see Eren again, even if it was just to return something. And then Jean would know someone came by, and that would just make him angrier. “… What should I do?”

_You should have gone with him! Eren wouldn’t have hurt you! Hell, he would understand you!! He said you were good! He said he trusted you!_

Marco shook his head at those thoughts. There was no way he could leave Jean. He promised he would stay with him. And there was nothing for Eren to understand. Marco was just a useless boyfriend. Nothing more. Nothing less. Eren was wrong. He wasn’t good, and he wasn’t trustworthy. If anything… he wished that he could be like Eren. Someone who could take care of people. Maybe he would be in the mess he was in now...

_Are you sure of that?_

As that thought popped into his mind, Marco chewed the inner part of his cheeks. He saw Reiner and Bertholdt were perfectly happy together. So were Ymir and Krista. One person could get mad at the other before making it up peacefully for both couples. They could spend time with other people casually and still be open about their relationship. None of them seemed afraid of getting the other mad… Which was completely different from his relationship with Jean… but it was what Marco wanted.

_... Is it what Jean wants though?_

Before Marco could come up with an answer, he felt someone grab him from behind and wrapped something around his throat and tightened it, starting to suffocate him. Marco struggled to get away, but stopped when he heard the person speak to him.

“Hello Marco. Care to give your boyfriend a welcome-back kiss?”

Marco gaped his mouth in silent horror before he felt himself starting to pass out. “… Jean…” The next thing he knew was that he fell forward to the floor, and blacked out completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, the ErenMarco ship has had the moment where one guy takes care of the other guy. A nice bit of fluff before everything goes wrong.
> 
> I'm so sorry!!
> 
> BTW, the toy bird that was in the car is suppose to be Beatrice from Over the Garden Wall. I finished watching it a while back, and I can definitely see how people keep comparing the titan trio to the Wirt, Greg and Beatrice.
> 
> CATS DO HAVE WEIRD SLEEPING PATTERNS!! I have two, and both of them will be perfectly asleep in one place before deciding that my arm and my computer make a better spot and make themselves comfy.
> 
> The next chapter is going to have a very brutal non-con scene, so I figured I'd warn you all now just in case!!!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is. The chapter of utter despair. As if this is what the fandom currently needs, given the recent chapter.
> 
> This chapter is shorter than most of the recent ones, but still took me a while.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING!! As I said before, this chapter has very brutal non-con stuff, and torture, and I'll let you know now that it's both as present time and flashback. Please proceed with caution!! Your mental health is more important!!
> 
> If any of you ever have been in any abusive relationships - any kind of relationship, or sexually assaulted, I'm sorry. I hope all of you have people who truly care for you now, and if not, I hope you do find them. I hope that everyone can escape whatever situations they are trapped in. I hope all of you can be happy.

Jean tapped his foot impatiently as he watched the elevator light crawl its way up to the number 8 that was above the door. After fighting four hours of traffic, he finally managed to come back in one piece. Nathan wanted a few more grabs, so he stayed behind for a few more hours. But he should be coming by tomorrow to help him out after he punished Marco.

Fucking idiot. Lying to him first about who he was with, then refusal to go back to the apartment when told to?! How dare he?! Jean gritted his teeth in frustration. That ungrateful slut was probably thinking of leaving him. Like all those times before. Just when Jean finally thought he got Marco to stop thinking like that. He finally heard the elevator bell ring before opening up. Immediately getting out, Jean pulled out his keycard and stormed over to the door.

Hearing the whirring of the door unlocking as soon as it scanned the card, Jean made sure to open it quietly. He had planned out the punishment already, but he had to make sure Marco wouldn’t have a moment to fight back before then. He always enjoyed giving Marco punishments by surprise. Silently closing the door, Jean pulled out a long, thin rope out of his bag. A sedative would have been another choice, but with the rope, he could keep Marco from crawling away.

Jean heard some noise from the bedroom. Assuming Marco was there, Jean slowly crept his way to the open door. Just as he thought, Marco was kneeling at his nightstand, facing away from the door. Jean smiled to himself as he drew closer, Marco still unaware of his presence.

As soon as he was close enough, Jean used one arm to hold Marco before putting the rope around his neck. It was probably a more tedious position than necessary, but there was no real need to think about that. Marco started struggling and watched as his hands started their efforts to get the rope off while making a few gasps for air. Idiot. Jean slowly tightened it as he finally spoke to him. “Hello Marco. Care to give your boyfriend a welcome-back kiss?”

He listened as Marco’s gasps became more panicked. “Jean…” He felt Marco lean to the floor, prompting Jean to let go of the rope. As Marco collapsed completely, Jean made sure if he was actually out. When he was absolutely sure, he left the bedroom and headed to his workroom.

It was down in the opposite direction of the bedroom, at the end of the hallway. Opening the door, he looked around to see if anything had been touched. No signs that Marco came in here. Good. Jean looked at the wall and pressed it, causing the hidden door to pop open.

Stepping in where the hidden door was, he smiled when he saw his tools. Bringing all of this stuff over from the old home was a hassle, but in the end, it was worth it. Preparing them for Marco’s punishment took no time at all. As soon as he was done, he went back to the bedroom.

Before he got ready to drag Marco off, he spotted the package that sat next to the computer. Jean went over to it and checked it. It was the aphrodisiacs that he ordered the other day. He glanced over at the crumpled boy on the floor. This was a good chance to see its effects. He opened the box and pulled out one of the clear liquid bottles before grabbing the syringe that was in the box. As soon as the aphrodisiac was in the syringe, Jean went back to Marco and turned him onto his side.

Checking again to make sure Marco wasn’t conscious again, Jean pieced Marco’s upper arm with the syringe. Making sure the needle was deep enough, he injected all of the clear liquid into the arm. Quickly removing the needle and placing it on the night table, Jean heaved Marco onto his shoulder and carried him to the hidden room. As he was walking, he saw Marco’s phone fall out of his pocket. Jean raised his eyebrow and plucked it from the floor.

_That’s right. Need to check how much went on._

Holding the phone in his hand, he carried Marco to the secret room, and after making sure Marco was secure, he opened up the text app.

-

Marco couldn’t feel anything for a moment. He couldn’t see anything – he opened his eyes just now, but it was pitch black. “… What…” He tried moving his body in an effort to figure out what was going on.

That’s when he realized it. Marco realized that his feet was barely touching the apartments carpet beneath them... He was being suspended. He was in cuffs. The same ones from the basement. All while naked. “No, no, no!” Horrified, Marco started struggling in the handcuffs in an effort to get out of them, while praying that this was just a bad dream again.

As he was struggling, there was a click and the lights turned on, temporarily blinding him. As his vision came back and eyes adjusted, he took a look at his surroundings. He saw everything that used to be in the basement. The rack, the newer cage – it was more box like than the last one, since it only once side that was actually barred while the rest was like a metal box, the ‘toy’ box Jean kept things in, everything. Marco stopped struggling and looked down at the ground. “No…”

“I see someone decided to wake up.” Marco tensed up when he heard the voice from behind him. He listened as footsteps approached him. Eventually, someone stood before him, but he didn’t want to look up. He didn’t want to see this. “Look at me.” He didn’t want this. “LOOK AT ME!!” A hand held his jaw and he was forced to look up.

Jean stood there, holding him. “Jean…”

“Had a good time without me.” Jean let go of him and held Marco’s phone up. Marco looked at it. It was the text message Eren sent him last night. “Pets. You had pets over. And you had Jaeger over. And you called him.” He lowered Marco’s phone and continued talking. “Were you planning on keeping all of this a secret from me?” His voice grew darker as he continued. “You think I wouldn’t catch on? That you were sneaking around behind my back?”

“Jean, please,” Marco started begging, “It was completely harmless-”

Jean’s face twisted angrily and Marco saw him raise the hand that held his phone. Marco closed his eyes just before he felt Jean’s hand slam the phone in the side of his face. He cried out as he felt the pain, before opening his eyes again. Marco saw Jean throw the phone against a wall, breaking it, before turning his attention back to Marco. “HARMLESS?! ARE YOU ALREADY FORGETTING WHAT HAPPENED A FEW DAYS AGO?!” He seized Marco’s hair and pulled his head down, since Marco was a little taller than him. “ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID?! OR ARE YOU JUST UNGRATEFUL?! OR IS IT BOTH?!”

“No, no, it’s not!” Marco felt tears welling up in his eyes as he pleaded to Jean. “I really mean it!!”

Jean growled before raising his hand again. “LIAR!” A swift slap met Marco’s face before Jean released his hair. Marco felt Jean grab his shoulder as Jean punched his stomach. Marco would have doubled over, but his current position made it impossible. So he had no choice but to continue hanging. “You’re a liar. You’re planning on leaving me. Like my parents.” Marco tried to shake his head, but he was too scared to get his head to move the way he wanted it to. “I won’t let you leave. You’re mine! MINE ALONE!” He squeezed Marco’s shoulder as he said that. Marco sobbed, fearing Jean was going to break it.

Jean finally let go of him and circled around him to the ‘toy’ box. “You brought this onto yourself you know.” He opened it up and Marco watched as he pulled the whip out.

“Please no, please! I’m sorry!”

“Shut up!” Jean raised his hand holding the end of the whip, and Marco knew well what was coming.

Within milliseconds, Marco felt a sharp pain inflicted on his side the moment he heard the whip’s crack. “AH!” Before he even had the chance to breathe, there was another crack. Followed by another. And more. The whip landed its blows on a different part of his body each time, growing more painful. As it continued, Marco began freely crying, letting the tears fall from his eyes. His breathing became increasingly shallow and irregular as well.

After what felt like an eternity, the whipping stopped. Marco felt Jean lean against him. “Oh, look at that. You’re old scar is bleeding.” He felt Jean’s hand trace a scar that was on his side, making Marco wince as he felt his fingers touch the wound. His scar would always end up bleeding whenever he was whipped. “This could have been avoided. If you had…” Marco watched as Jean came back in front. “Simply…” Jean grabbed Marco’s necklace and pulled him closer. “Stayed away from other people!”

“N-no…” Then, much to his horror, he felt the urge to vomit.

_No, no Marco, don’t do it! He’ll get angrier if you do-_

Marco felt himself gag and watched as something came out of his mouth, and saw some of it land on Jean. “AH!!” Jean released him and took a few steps back to look at himself.

Marco trembled as Jean looked back up at him, his frown growing. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He watched as Jean went over to the corner and picked up a crowbar that he kept around. “No, I’m sorry!! I’M SO SORRY!!” Marco tried to move his arms to shield himself before Jean started hitting him.

“FILTHY SLUT!!” Jean aimed the crowbar at his head’s side, but Marco’s arm got in the way. But that didn’t stop Jean from hitting him. “USELESS, UNTRUSTRWORTHY BITCH!!” Jean continued hitting him before throwing the crowbar away. “Now that you made a new mess for me to clean,” Jean started, “You’ll be waiting for the next part.” He reached up for where the handcuffs were hanging and lowered them, making Marco collapse. He then dragged Marco to the rack.

“No, please, I’m sorry!” Marco tried pulling away from Jean, but his body hurt too much, and he didn’t have much energy left. He felt himself being forced to lie on it while Jean fastened his hands down. “Please…” Jean left his vision and he heard a few things moving around. He was starting to clean up the spot where Marco vomited. The panic in Marco grew more and more every minute as he was bounded to the rack

_No, please no, not this!_

Jean came back over, furious. “You love giving me a hard time.” Marco’s legs weren’t tied or held down in any way, which let Jean seize one of them and hold it up. “You’re just a attention-hungry, useless, lying slut.” Marco saw Jean holding something in his other hand. “Well, since you’re so desperate for attention, let me give you some.” As soon as he said that, Marco felt his body being invaded by what Jean was holding.

“Ah-AHH-AHH!!” It hurt, it hurt so damn much. Jean didn’t even bother with spit. “Please, please take it out!! It-its tearing me!”

“You’ve had this in you before, and you enjoyed it so much then.” Marco stared at him with wide confused eyes before he felt something being placed on his thigh. It was the garter that went with the vibrator Jean got recently. Jean then held up the remote. “I’m sure you can deal with it now.”

Marco shook his head as a plea to get Jean to stop. “Jean, no, please stop…”

Jean remained silent and pressed the button on the remote.

“AAAH!” Marco arched his back at the vibration. It was only making the pain worse. “Jean, please take it out! It hurts!”

Jean reached for Marco’s length, which started hardening in his hand. “You’re getting hard, right? That mean’s you’re enjoying it.” He leaned closer to Marco so that he was right above him. “You really are a liar.” With that said, Jean lowered his head down to Marco’s neck and bit, reopening the bite-marks made a few nights ago. Marco cried out as the pain continued. Yet to his humiliation, his shaft remained hard as Jean’s hand went up and down.

Jean continued biting Marco’s neck, until he eventually lost interest and started moving down. Marco felt Jean bite down on his chest, breaking the skin. “Ah!!” Jean sucked on the area he bit before running his tongue over it. “Ngg…”

Jean repeated his actions again before moving up. He looked at Marco with cold eyes before moving one of his hands. “Even your nipples are getting hard.” He pinched one of the nubs on Marco’s chest while digging his nails in, making him wince in pain. “You’re getting off from the pain.” He then started dragging his hands all over Marco’s upper body, scratching him. As his hands went over the welts and bleeding areas from the whip, Jean’s nails dug in deeper.

“Nmm!” Marco shook his head, praying that Jean would stop soon. When Jean finally withdrew his hands, Marco saw a faint tinge of blood under his nails. Whether or not it was just the blood from the wounds the whip gave him or if it was from the deep scratches Jean left him as well, Marco didn’t have any clue.

“Jean…” Marco’s voice broke, dreading what was likely going to happen.

Marco felt the vibrator being pulled out before roughly pushed back in, forcing it in deeper this time. Marco bit his lips in an attempt to block out the pain down there, trying to focus on pain that was elsewhere. But he still felt a jolt when it hit his bundle of nerves. He shuddered as the vibrator continued moving inside him. “You’re taking it rather greedily,” Jean said in an amused tone, which Marco was praying to be a sign that the punishment was almost over.

“In that case, let me give you the real thing.” With that, Jean pulled out the vibrator and removed the garter. He slowly stood up and removed his clothes. He pulled Marco’s legs up, and that’s when Marco did his mistake.

He tried to keep his legs closed.

“BITCH!!” He slammed his fist down onto Marco’s stomach, right where he punched him earlier. Marco cried out in agony. “KEEP YOU’RE LEGS OPEN. YOU ASKED FOR THIS. YOU EARNED IT.”

“Please, I’m sor-MFF!”

Jean covered Marco’s mouth with one of his hands and leaned dangerously close. “SHUT. UP.”

There was barely a second that passed when Marco felt Jean force himself in.

_Jean… please… stop…_

“NOW, I SUGGEST YOU BE… AN OBEDIENT BITCH THIS TIME…” Jean leaned down closer, effectively trapping Marco in the current position, and seized the necklace, hanging the pendant in front of Marco. “AND LET ME DO AS I PLEASE WITH YOU.”

\--

_Marco and Jean were sitting on the couch in the living room together, quietly. It had been a few days since Marco had moved in with Jean. Jean was texting someone while Marco was reading something. Usually Marco would have gone to the library during this time of the week, but since there was snowfall today, he had to stay at home._

_“Marco.”_

_Hearing his name, Marco looked at Jean. “Yeah?”_

_“Now that we’re together,” Jean started, leaning close, “I think we spent enough time together to get… serious.”_

_“… I thought we were already serious,” Marco confessed._

_Jean chuckled. “No, no, not really. Because you see, we still haven’t had sex yet.”_

_Marco felt himself turn red at the mentioning of sex. “What?!”_

_“What are you so surprised of?”_

_“I-I-I,” Marco stammered, at a loss of how to respond. “I-I-I ne-never had s-s-se-se-sex b-bef-before!!” He froze, barely believing he just said all of that out loud._

_“I know you’re a virgin Marco. You’re not the type for one-night stands, and that I’m your first boyfriend.”_

_Marco’s cheeks continued to burn. “Wh-why does it matter?!”_

_Jean leaned in closer. “Everyone in a relationship does it. It shows that they truly love the other person.” Marco looked at Jean and felt his fingers trace his face. “You’ve stayed with me so long now… and I need to know you really do love me!” He came closer to Marco. “We are… more than friends, right?”_

_“… Yes…”_

_“So, why not do it? You’ve seen me naked before… Am I just not good looking enough?”_

_“No, that’s not it. It’s just… I have no idea what to do.”_

_“I do. I had a few nights with some guys before, and I had a girlfriend before too. I’ll show you.”_

_Marco fidgeted in his seat. He wasn’t sure he was ready to do this. But Jean said he wanted to do it, and that it was normal for couples to do. He felt that Jean knew more on the subject than he did. And… he felt that he was old enough. “… Alright.”_

_Jean gave his cocky smirk and picked Marco up, earning a small yelp. “Let’s head to the bedroom.” He carried Marco up the stairs and brought him to the bed in there. Marco barely believed that he and Jean had been sleeping in the same bed since they had moved in. Yet, Jean was laying him down gently on the bed. “This will be fun.”_

_“O-okay.” Marco felt himself flush even more as Jean took his clothes off before turning to Marco. Jean crawled onto the bed and kissed Marco, earning an embarrassed squeak from him. Marco heard Jean chuckle and felt his shirt being unbuttoned before Jean started moving his kisses to his neck before he began suckling._

_So far, it felt… rather nice. Marco was feeling enjoyment from the treatment, and couldn’t help but giggle. Jean continued moving Marco’s shirt off Marco’s shoulders and gave the left shoulder attention… then that’s when Marco felt it. Pain. He winced as Jean bit down on his shoulder harshly. “Mm…” It hurt, but it was a bite, so it was obvious it hurt. Plus it wasn’t that bad._

_But, very soon after, the excitement faded, along with the enjoyment. Jean seized Marco’s upper arm as he pulled his shirt down his arms. The shirt’s sleeves were buttoned at the very end, so they clung Marco’s wrists. Marco heard Jean growl and was suddenly flipped over. “AH!” When he was on his stomach, he heard a sudden rip, and he felt a chill wash over his back._

_“Damn shirt!” Marco, now confused and feeling a bit of panic, was suddenly pulled up, his back pressing up against Jean’s chest, being held by his wrist, where the shirt’s end of the sleeves still were. Until Jean reached for one and pulled it, tearing it off. “Why can’t you wear simpler clothes?” Jean began biting Marco’s neck. He then reached for Marco’s pants and undid them before reaching for Marco’s length._

_“J-Jean, please stop,” Marco told him and tried to pull away. This was too much for his first time. Without any warning, he was forced to turn around, and felt a slap go across his face. “Ah!” Marco fell back to the bed. He raised his hand to touch where Jean just slapped him. Marco thought it had to be just one of his small overreactions… But then Jean slapped him again. Then Marco felt a punch._

_No, this was different from before._

_“YOU’RE TELLING ME WHAT TO DO?!” Jean seized Marco’s hair and brought him back up. “YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO DO THIS!”_

_“Jean, you’re hurting me!” Marco’s panic began rising, terrified of this new behavior of Jean._

_“First times always hurt!”_

_Marco shook his head, not wanting to believe that. “If that’s the case, I change my mind!” As soon as those words came out of his mouth, he was forced down again, and his pants were forcibly removed. “Ngg!”_

_“You see this?” Jean reached for Marco’s cock, which he realized was slightly erect. “If you’re hard, you want it.”_

_“NO I DON’T!!” Marco pushed Jean away and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, Jean caught him and pulled him back._

_“You…” Jean glared at Marco and suddenly grabbed something from his pile of clothes that were next to the bed. “BITCH!!”_

_Before Marco realized it, he felt a sudden pain in his right shoulder. Horrified, he looked at where the pain was coming from. The utility knife’s blade that Marco had seen Jean carry around sometimes was in his arm, the handle in Jean’s hand. Marco screamed. This wasn’t Jean! It couldn’t be!! “STOP!!”_

_“Shut up!” Jean pulled the blade out of Marco’s shoulder and held it in front of Marco. “This is what you deserve for trying to get away!”_

_“Jean, stop! PLEASE!!” Marco felt tears form in his eyes, but refused to let them fall. Jean raised the blade again and stabbed Marco’s arm. “AHH!”_

_“Be glad I’m going for the non-vital areas. And I’m not about to let you bleed to death.” Jean kept the blade in Marco’s arm as he spoke. “You want to know why? It’s because I love you. But I won’t tolerate you taking back your word!” He leaned closer. “YOU AGREED TO DO THIS. YOU CAN’T WALK OUT NOW. AND YOU PROMISED TO STAY WITH ME. EVEN FOREVER.”_

_Marco shook in fear. Did changing his mind really make Jean that angry? What would happen if he insisted in stopping for good? Marco swallowed in fear. Jean said that people who were together had sex, but if they didn’t have sex, that would mean they weren’t together. If Jean stabbing him was out of rage of Marco telling him to stop, what would happen if he truly though Marco left him?_

_Would Jean… kill him?_

_Marco didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to believe his Jean would do such a thing. He just wanted him and Jean to be happy._

_He had to keep his promise._

_Jean pulled the blade out, making Marco cry out. “Now, you better not give me any more problems, got it? Or I’ll have to figure out a punishment for later.”_

_Marco nodded. “Yes. Yes, I understand.”_

_“Good.” Jean reached down to the floor again and pulled a bottle of clear liquid before opening it up. “Be glad I’m nice enough to prepare you for the final part.” Jean applied the liquid to his fingers and inserted them inside Marco. It hurt, but Marco kept quiet. He didn’t want to get Jean angrier. He just prayed that it would get better soon._

_That Jean would calm down._

_That this would be the only time this happens to them._

_Jean pulled his fingers out and positioned himself against Marco and leaned against his ear. “I love you.”_

_Marco almost felt happy to hear that._

_Jean then pushed in._

_Marco nearly screamed. Jean was so big, and it hurt so much! He felt as if he was being torn apart. But he was afraid what would happen if he screamed now. He turned his head to the side and watched as the snow fell and pilled up on the windowsill outside. So white, so pure. Marco was now the opposite._

_Having no other choices, Marco let Jean continue, and began quietly crying._

\--

Marco curled up, writhing in absolute pain, trapped in the cage.

Earlier, Marco came a few minutes after Jean entered him during the punishment, despite the utter pain he was in. Jean told him that he was just a greedy bitch to go this far to get laid, and that he really wanted the punishment after all. After several minutes, Jean came inside him, giving Marco the thought that the punishment was over.

Jean had another punishment planned for Marco though. He took out an electric shock device he kept and attached it to Marco, on various parts of his body. The shocks were never physically damaging, but they hurt so damn much. The amount of time each shock last varied, but they were longer than the periods between shocks. As the shocks continued, Marco accidentally wetted himself.

Jean started beating Marco for loosing control of his bladder. After hitting Marco several times, he started touching Marco again, making him climax. Much to his humiliation.

When Jean was done, Marco received another punishment that resulted in several puncture wounds in Marco’s upper thighs. Then there was more of Jean painfully touching him, drawing Marco to climax. Then another punishment, which left Marco with blurry vision in his right eye. More touching. Punishment. Touching. Punishment. Touching. Punishment. Touching.

The cycle continued until Jean finally got exhausted and decided to leave Marco in the cage for now. Marco screamed, begging Jean to let him out. His pleas were unnoticed though.

_… Why? It hurt so much… I didn’t enjoy any of it! So why?!_

Marco quietly sobbed as he questioned why he came several times. Not that he had any tears left to cry. Any tears he did have were already spent by the time Jean forced him into the cage.

_Jean wasn’t changing. He wasn’t turning back to his old self. I was dumb enough to think I was good enough to make it happen._

He heard Jean’s footsteps approach the cage before stopping in front of his cage. Marco wasn’t sure if Jean was here to give Marco another punishment or if he was going to let him out as relief of punishments. To his surprise, Jean pushed something past the barred side of the cage and walked away. Marco stared at it for a moment before realizing what it was. The bottle of painkillers.

Marco reached for it desperately. He needed the pain to stop. The pain in his body. The pain in his mind. The pain in his heart. All of the pain. Everywhere. He just wanted to have everything stop.

As soon as Marco had the bottle in hand, he removed the lid and held it to his mouth. Swallowing as many painkillers as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note - The aphrodisiac that Jean used on Marco makes the body easier to stimulate sexually.
> 
> erections/sexual stimulations/orgasms are a reaction of the body, not the person's will/emotions, so therefore is NOT consent! If a person changes their mind on whether or not they want to have sex even if they agreed to earlier, that means no, and therefore the person is NOT consenting!
> 
> It doesn't matter if the sex is BDSM or not. I have nothing against BDSM, but BDSM needs informed consent and trust from participating members, who are well-informed and completely understand of what they are involved in. It is about intimacy, trust, and respect between the participating members. Don't believe "50 Shades of Grey".
> 
> I wanted to clarify that because I felt that it was necessary, since I've heard people arguing about this kind of stuff in a bookstore recently.
> 
> Also, someone recently suggested I do a Q&A for the fanfic. I would like do it, but I'm not sure if that many people would be interested, especially after this chapter.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UWAAAH!! I'M SORRY FOR EVERYONE WHO I KEPT WAITING AND FOR TEARING YOUR HEARTS OUT IN THE LAST CHAPTER!!
> 
> This chapter ended up being a bit more gory than I was originally planning on writing, so just as a precaution - if you get squeamish/triggered with bloody scenes, please don't force yourself to read!!
> 
> By the way, I am thinking of doing some writing commissions to make some money since I need some but I haven’t been accepted for a job yet ^^’ I am willing to do NSFW stuff, and I guess I am open to any kinks, but I haven’t decided on prices yet… If there are any questions/suggestions (I’m new to commissions, so I’m still trying to figure some things out!), please message me either here or tumblr!!

Teddy was asleep when he was woken up by a jolt from the car. He glared at the funny-smelling blonde who was at the wheel. He was a horrible driver! Third time it happened!!

“We’re here.”

_Here? What here?_

Teddy looked out the window and saw they were at a large building that had a red mark on the front. He was then picked up by Krista, who opened the door. “Come on Teddy. You must be really anxious for a walk now, huh?” Walk? WALK!! Teddy barked and got ready to get a running start. “AH! Wait!” Teddy froze and Krista attached the leash to his collar. “Okay.” Teddy took off, pulling her with him. “Whoa!”

Teddy went over to some flowers that were planted around a tree. He wanted to dig them up. Starting to dig, Teddy ignored the voices telling him to stop. Digging was fun!! You could find fun things if you dig, and then you can play with the flowers after you dig them up!

As Teddy was getting to the roots, he suddenly sensed something behind him. Turning his head, he saw a short male human with dark hair and angry eyes. Very angry eyes. “What the hell is this little shit doing?”

_Ahhh, he’s mad and scary!_

Teddy whimpered and tucked his tail, scooting away from the flowers. This human was scary, even if he was short!

“Corporal Levi, this is Teddy Bear, Teddy for short,” Reiner stated as he approached the small human. “He hasn’t been trained per se, so he’s still a little mischievous.”

The short human glanced at the larger blonde. “Another stray Braun?”

“If you prefer, we have a kitten.” Reiner pointed to Bertholdt, who was holding a sleeping Pumpkin in his arms.

‘Corporal Levi’ looked at the cat, and back at Reiner. “Remember, the litter box will not be in my office.”

“Got it.”

“Good.” Levi looked at Bertholdt again. “Your folks are already inside with your sister.”

“Thanks.” Bertholdt headed to the building and went inside, walking next to Levi. “… Is there any good news?”

“One of our sources finally figured out what the second drug in Leonhart’s system was.”

“They did?!”

“Yes. We’re giving her something to undo its effects.” As the two humans went inside with Reiner and Krista following them, Teddy wasn’t able to hear the rest of the conversation.

He was then caught off guard when someone picked him up, causing him to yelp in surprise. “Come on dog, we need to go it.” It was the dotted-girl, Ymir. Teddy whined as they went further away from the flowers.

After they entered the building, Teddy soon found that they were going to where there were several other humans in the hallway, the tall boys already with them while Bert was hugging a yellow-furred woman. Finally, Ymir set him down.

“PAAHHH-PEEEEH!”

_Oh no._

Eyes wide, Teddy turned his head to the source. Two short yellow-furred short humans, male and female, had spotted him and were running to him. “PAHPY, PAHPY!!” Nope. Nope nope nope. Short humans like them were the worst. Teddy snarled at them, barring his teeth then barked at the monsters. The monsters stopped instantly before turning around. “AAAHHH!” The both hid behind Bertholdt. “BERT, HE’S SCARY!”

“We told you two not to go running up to dogs like that, you scare them and get them angry,” Bertholdt told them.

“Flower doesn’t!”

“She’s used to kids like you,” Reiner said as we came over to Teddy and picked him up. Teddy continued to watch the smaller humans with distain.

The short human girl finally caught up with them. “Sorry for being behind… How’s Annie?”

“She’s hanging in there,” An older human. “We’re just waiting for whatever Hanji did to start working.”

_Huh?_

Now curious on what this was all about, Teddy jumped down from Reiner’s arm and went to the door. There were a few funny machines that kept making noises that were right next to a bed. Someone was in the bed, but Teddy couldn’t see the person’s face. Jumping up, he managed to get on the blankets and saw the person. It was a girl with yellow fur – she also smelled similar to the tall boys and Ymir and Eren… but she wasn’t moving at all.

_Hey, are you OK?_

Teddy went up to her face and nudged at her, trying to get her to wake up. There was nothing though. Not even twitch from her. Teddy, confused that the girl wasn’t responding, whined. He was then taken off the bed. “Sorry, but you need to stay outside the room for now,” Reiner told him.

Teddy was set down outside as all the humans went in the room and closed the door. He let out another whine before sitting down.

“Rrr, hrm.” Teddy blinked and swerved his head around. Was that Pumpkin? No, she was asleep on a blanket next to the wall. “Hmm, rrr-rrhm~” There it was again… it was coming from behind a table further down the hall. Interested, Teddy trotted down to the table and peaked over.

It was a big dog. A really big dog. Female from the smell of it. Teddy was about ready to run for it when he saw something else. A black small dog, about his size, that also smelled like a female. The smaller dog was whimpering, then the large one started grooming her, trying to comfort her. Teddy was getting ready to go when he accidentally sneezed, alerting his presence. Teddy froze there when he heard the larger dog move.

_It’s all over!!_

Then, he felt himself being lifted up gently… like what mommy did when she was moving him. The larger dog carried him over to where the smaller dog still was before setting him down.

Teddy was completely baffled as the she started grooming him. The last large dog that was this close to him was when he was in the horrible place with the cages, and they were mean. This one was being gentle… like mommy… like Dots. Teddy lowered his head as he recalled the dotted human, feeling sadness. The then felt something lean against him. He turned his head and saw the small dog had come closer to him, and started whining. She was… trying to ask him if there was something wrong?

… Just like Dots would do.

He began to relax and the big dog continued to groom him and the black dog. Eren said that he would be able to see Dots again soon, and it seemed like he didn’t lie…

Teddy set his head down and the darker dog placed her head on top of his. The only thing he could do now was hope for the best… whatever that was going to be.

-

Eren blinked his eyes open when he started to hear something. He turned himself over and pushed himself off of the couch he slept on, going over to the window. Pulling the curtain aside, he saw that it had started raining.

_Crap. Not sure if we have raincoats with us… or umbrellas…_

Now worried, Eren went over to the bags in the room and started searching them, praying that one of them managed to pack rain necessities. And enough for all three of them. Going through the bags, he found three raincoats in Armin’s bag. Okay, they were good.

He looked over at the only two people with him now. They were asleep on the two beds in the room, Armin making a light snore while Mikasa was relaxed completely.

_What is the time anyway?_

He went over to where his phone was charging and turned it on. 9:14. He rubbed his eyes in an effort to wake up. “Maybe I just need breakfast…” As he was getting ready to put it away, he saw a reminder appearing on the screen.

 

Go back to Marco’s to look for picture in the day

 

Oh, that’s right, he accidentally lost his mom’s picture over at Marco’s place… Eren went to the phone app and almost tapped ‘Dots” – he still hadn’t gotten around to changing in – before stopping. It might be to early for him… Marco needed as much rest as possible if he wasn’t feeling good. Eren huffed before exiting out of the app.

-

Nathan knocked several times on the door. “Who is i?”

“It’s me Jean!”

There was the swift sound of the door unlocking before it opened and Jean came out. “Took you long enough,” he snarled.

“Hey, good business takes time.” Nathan shuffled inside before Jean closed the door. “So where’s that bitch of yours?”

“In the cage.”

“The one I gave you several months ago?” The cage he was referring to was a left over from one of their storehouses. Jean said Marco seemed to be getting comfortable with the one he already had, so Nathan offered it to him.

“What else could I be talking about?” Jean practically snarled at him.

“It was just a question. Fuck, that bitch must have really made you mad, huh?”

“Enough about him. You got the stuff I told you to bring?”

“All right here.” Nathan lifted a bag he brought with him off his back. “Say, you know what the Jaeger guy looks like anyway?”

“I managed to get some pictures off Marco’s phone before disabling it. There were only two, but it’s enough.” Jean went over to the coffee table and picked up two pictures before coming back over and giving them to Nathan. “Here.”

Nathan took a careful look at the first one. Oh, baby face. That was definitely popular. He took a careful look at face to see everything else would be good, not paying attention to the scrapes on him. Bushy eyebrows, but they could either remove some hair there or hope that there was a client who liked eyebrows. His nose didn’t seem long, but it wasn’t really short either… then he saw the eyes. That… perfect green shade… just a hint of blue… The kind that seemed like they couldn’t be real. But if they were… oh god, he would give anything to gorge them out.

Nathan grinned to himself. He hoped the kid could scream. He didn’t hear all of Marco’s octaves when he got to do him, but if he got the satisfaction to get a pretty boy like this to scream for him.

Like that blonde bitch three years ago… he had forgotten her name by now. She screamed so loud, it was enough to turn him on… But she didn’t scream in fear. She kept fighting them. Even bit him. She didn’t even give up in the end. Jean got so fed up that he ended up beating her. She probably died that night though. There was a small investigation, but a client provided lawyers for them regularly, so they were safe.

“Got any idea where the kid is?”

“No need. He’s gonna be back.” Nathan looked at Jean, hearing his voice darken. “Bastard hung around him, he even came by yesterday. He’s going to come.”

Jealousy always was one of Jean’s trademarks.

He switched the first photo of Jaeger with the second one and saw another person in the background. He couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl. “You know who this blond is?”

“Hah?” Jean came back over and looked at where Nathan pointed. “From the text I found it with, I think his name is Armin.”

“So it is a boy…” Nathan licked his lips while looking at the boy. He wouldn’t be bad profit either. Especially if someone was interested in someone with girlish looks.

-

“Wow, it’s really pouring out there,” Armin commented as he pulled back the curtains again. He began wondering if it would later develop into a thunderstorm.

“It was lighter this morning,” Eren commented as he was browsing on his phone. Armin had gotten up an hour ago because he stayed up last night exchanging messages between some internet friends. Eren and Mikasa had already gotten breakfast, and the latter went out to get some lunch just a few minutes ago. “Can’t believe it’s gotten this heavy though…”

“Well, weather patterns are pretty messed up,” Armin admitted before sitting down next to him. “They used to be less extreme 50 years ago though… but I guess three nuclear bombs pretty much spiced things up a bit…”

“Weather wise, and mutation-hulk wise,” Eren joked.

Armin shook his head. After plenty of nuclear contamination going around for people, the titans started popping up, and the military started rounding them up so that they wouldn’t harm – or eat, according to some accounts - civilians. However, the term shifter only became applicable after it turned out people could change back to a regular appearance. After the ones that couldn’t shift back died out, shifters were then kept under surveillance to see if they would either loose their ability to become a titan or if they would be stuck as a titan. The chances were even less likely than a person actually being a titan, but on the off chances that either scenario happened, it was either a good or a bad thing…

Eren however, seemed to have higher chances of accidentally permanently becoming a titan. The timespan he could spend in a titan form was shorter than what most other shifters can bear without side affects. And then the shift in behavior was another concern for the superiors…

… There was another reason why shifters were kept under surveillance though… it was to keep them safe.

Armin looked back at Eren, who was looking at his contacts… specifically at ‘Dots’. “Wanna talk to Dots huh?” Armin teased him before poking Eren’s cheek.

“Armin, you have the choice to either stop it with the name, or I’ll tell your folks about the yaoi… whatever form it is.”

“I’m just a distributor.” Armin liked to stock up on doujinshis and similar things before giving them to people who were in the need of some. Reiner usually asked for some, and he and Bert would get… creative. Ymir and Krista both asked for yuri, although the shorter girl would be discrete about it.

“You don’t know a thing about having shame, do you?”

“Not really.”

Eren huffed and finally tapped the call button. “I don’t think I’ll be over at his place long. Just going to check on him and see if my mom’s picture is over there…” He let the phone ring several times. “Don’t think I can afford any more chocolate at the moment th-”

“We’re sorry, the number you havereached is not in service. Please check your number again.”

Eren stopped talking and looked at his phone. “What the?” His eyes widened. “But… wait.” Armin watched as Eren switched to the text app and typed something in before trying to send it. However, the message bounced right back. Without any second thoughts, Eren got up and ran over to the raincoats. “Something’s wrong. I’m going to head over there.” His voice sounded panicked.

“Wait, Eren!” But before Armin could stand up, Eren had already rushed out of the door. “Crraaaap~” Armin rushed as fast as he could to get changed before going after him.

When he got outside though, he couldn’t find him. “No, no, no!” Biting his lower lip, Armin pulled out his phone and tapped Eren’s number. No answer. He was probably too worried about Marco to hear it ring. “Dammit Eren!” He then pressed Mikasa’s number.

“Armin?” Oh thank god she picked up!

“Mikasa, where are you?”

“The drugstore getting lu-”

“Mikasa, you need to start heading to Marco’s place!”

“Wait, what?! What’s going on?!”

“Eren just tried to call him, but he didn’t answer, so Eren started heading over there without me!”

“He what?!” There was the sound of rustling, signaling that she started running. “Where are you right now?!”

“I just got out of the hotel! I’m heading over to Marco’s place right now!”

“Wait till I’m there to go in!” With that she hung up.

“Will do,” Armin muttered as he started running.

-

Eren shook his hood off as soon as he was in the lobby of the apartment, letting rain water splatter on the floor. He rushed over to the elevator and pressed 8. As the door closed, he raised his hand to his mouth and began nervously gnawing on it. “Please be okay, please be okay…” This was too similar for him… too similar to that day…

\--

_Eren was getting on the bus when he pulled his phone out and dialed his house’s phone. Mikasa had to stay afterschool today, and Armin was on a fieldtrip, so he was by himself on the way home. Mom would probably be upset, but Eren felt safe going back home without his sister or best friend._

_After a few rings though, the call went straight to the answering machine. Eren looked at his phone in confusion. That was odd. Both his mom and dad were home today… why weren’t they answering? Did they go someplace? But if they did, they would have left him a message on his phone or Mikasa’s at least…_

_As soon as his bus reached where he was supposed to get off, he started running home. He couldn’t shake off a bad feeling that was growing in his stomach._

_“They’re fine Eren,” He began telling himself. “Maybe mom just needed some air and dad went with her just when I called them…” As he approached his house he saw both cars in the driveway… as well as an unfamiliar one. Was there a guest? Curious, Eren went up to the front door and grabbed the knob._

\--

Eren heard the elevator bell go off as it opened up. Eighth floor. He hurried off and ran to Marco’s door before he started banging his hand against it. “Marco! Marco are you there?!” No answer. Not wanting to waste anytime, he tried to open the door. It was unlocked. “Marco?!” He went in and immediately checked the living room. He wasn’t there, and not the kitchen. He went over to where the main bedroom was, praying that maybe Marco had just slept in.

“Marco?” Going in, he saw no one in bed. Then he heard movement behind him. Just as he was turning around, he felt something smash against his head, nearly knocking him out. He fell to the floor, but managed to stay awake, although dazed. But before he had a chance in getting up, he watched as someone walked around him, tossing down a crowbar, and seized him by his hair, holding him up.

“So, you’re Eren Jaeger?” Eren didn’t recognize that voice. He looked up in front of him to look at who was holding him.

Jean Kirschtein.

_But… Marco said he was away for a week!_

Before he could do anything, he felt Jean’s grip tighten before he began dragging Eren. “Let me go!” Eren immediately started flailing, trying to get away. As soon as he did, he was thrown against a wall, slamming his face against it.

“Shut the hell up!” Eren was turned around and Jean punched him in the face, and Eren felt blood flowing out of his nose. Then he felt a pair of hands around his throat, squeezing it as much as possible. “You made Marco give me a lot of trouble lately, and I don’t need another bastard to start whining.”

Eren immediately started clawing at Jean’s hands, digging his nails into them. But he was gradually loosing his strength due to the inability to get enough oxygen. Jean was able to tell, and brought Eren over to the bathroom while still holding him by the throat. As soon as they were in, Jean threw Eren down before pressing his foot down against his side, keeping Eren from getting up. “Here Nathan.”

“Mmm, see you went rougher than usual.” Someone kneeled down in front of Eren and gripped his face, making him look up. A man older than him was grinning down disgustingly at him. “Even nicer than those photos you got for me?”

_What photos?_

Before he had a chance to shout, ‘Nathan’ suddenly probed his eye with a finger. “Ah!” He felt his fingertip graze over it before switching to the next one. What the hell was this guy doing?!

“No contacts in either one… so those pretty eye color of yours are real. I almost feel bad at the thought of selling you.” That horrible grin grew wider as he said that. Oh god, selling?! Was this guy talking about human trafficking?! He held Eren’s face more forcefully and then used that new force to make his mouth open. “Now we better check the mouth…” Eren then felt Nathan beginning to prod the inside. “Damn, wish I got the chance to do this when you loaned me your bitch.”

_… Loaned?_

That immediately made Eren’s brain click. It wasn’t just Jean who hurt Marco. This man also has hurt him.

_How dare you…_

The moment Nathan tried pushing his fingers deeper in Eren’s mouth, Eren bit down with as much force he could muster. “AH!!” Nathan tried to pull his fingers away, but Eren managed to clamp his teeth down further, beginning to taste metal. “LET GO!” Nathan began hitting Eren’s head with his other hand, but Eren didn’t focus on it. He continued biting down on the fingers and felt blood beginning to slide down his chin.

Eren felt Jean beginning to pull hard at his hair, shouting at him. He didn’t pay any attention to what he was saying. If anything, it just fueled him in forcing his teeth into the flesh beneath.

_HOW DARE YOU HURT HIM!!_

Then he heard a satisfying rip and watched as Nathan reeled backwards. Now his grin had turn to a face of shock and horror, while looking at the bloody stumps where his fingers once were.

Taking advantage of the shock that now filled the room, Eren turned to face Jean and spat the remains of what was in his mouth at his face. “Agh!” Jean released him and Eren immediately got up. “BASTARD!” Jean immediately swung for him, grabbing him by the shoulders before shoving him into the glass wall of the shower, causing it to break, and Eren fell to his back while Jean was on top of him.

Eren, now fully engaged in an adrenaline rush, seized whatever shards of glass he could grab. “GET! OFF!” He brought his hand to Jean’s face as spoke. There was another shout from the blonde, and he moved away. Eren saw a retractable blade fall out of his pocket. Not wasting anytime, Eren grabbed it and got the blade out. Jean just noticed his actions as Eren tackled him. “DIE YOU SHITBAG!!” He plunged the blade into Jean’s chest.

“AHHH!” Watching as Jean writhed on the floor like the scum he was, Eren bolted for the door before closing it and blocking it with a piece of furniture. “I’LL GET YOU! YOU HEAR ME?! I’LL MAKE YOU SCREAM SO LOUD AS YOU BLEED!” Guess that blade didn’t go deep enough.

Eren rushed away from the bathroom and Jean’s screaming.

Feeling the rush leave as quickly as it came, the pain from landing on broken glass became apparent as he straightened up, and Eren realized that he had some glass embedded in the hand that he used to slam shards into Jean’s face.

_I’ll get them out later. They can’t kill me._

It was true. The wounds were already beginning to let out some steam as they tried to heal themselves. But now it was just trying to figure out why Jean was here, and where Marco was.

_… Did Marco… trick me?_

Eren shook his head. No. That couldn’t be it… Heading to where Teddy and Pumpkin were kept in just yesterday, Eren looked in and saw no one.

_… Is he… still here at all?_

Fear began gripping him until he noticed another room that was further down. Going down to inspect it, Eren saw it was basically like a small work office… wait. It was… too small. He looked back out in the hallway and saw that where the wall in the room was several feet before the end of the hallway.

He’d seen this before. There was a safe house that sometimes him and the other shifters would go to for isolated tests that Hanji had prepared that would take time, and there was a hidden room there.

Eren traced his fingers on the wall until he found the door. He pressed it and watched as it opened. As soon as it did, a weird odor hit his nose. Was that… vomit he smelled? No… there was also something else… like cleaning products. The kind Levi used back home. Knowing that this was the last place to look, Eren took in a deep breath before stepping in.

Then he saw the room.

Eren stared at it all for a moment before fighting the urge to heave. The smell was even worse in here. He looked at the hook that was on the ceiling then the rack… it was similar to those BDSM pictures that he would occasionally find Reiner looking at. Then Eren noticed stains on the rack. Eren stepped closer and his nose detected the smell of semen and urine… and that of blood. Then he saw that there was blood smeared from the rack that went to the floor… then across the room…

Eren’s eyes followed it all the way to a box that was against the wall. No… it had bars in the front… so it was a cage.

Then Eren saw him.

“Marco!” Rushing over there, Eren kneeled down to see the freckled boy. He was unconscious… then he saw the heavy bruises on his face, with a black eye and cuts on his lips. “Oh god…” Eren grabbed the bars and pulled at them, feeling them slowly give in before he finally got them off. Throwing the bars away, he carefully pulled Marco out.

Marco was covered with injuries. There were long gashes across everything above his torso, front and back, scratches that looked like they drew blood, bruises all over, small puncture wounds – like those from a needle or icepick, on his thighs and arms. The bite marks Eren was suspicious were now visible, some fresh and some reopened.

Then there were the dried bodily fluids between his legs. From what Eren could tell, it was semen mixed with blood.

“Marco, Marco, can you hear me?!” Eren carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. Marco didn’t respond. Was he breathing?! Eren leaned down to listen. He was, just barely… then he noticed something on his mouth that wasn’t blood… it was from the inside of his mouth though. Unsure of what it was, Eren carefully opened it, and saw that Marco had thrown up in his mouth recently. Eren quickly turned him onto his side, praying that this was the right thing to do.

His thoughts were stopped when he heard the sound of the door breaking. “JAEGER!!”

_Crap, crap crap!_

Eren tried lifting Marco up, praying that Jean hadn’t gotten completely out yet. As he was halfway across the room, Jean barged in, with a makeshift bandage for the stab wound to his chest, looking even angrier than just a few minutes ago. “SET HIM DOWN!” Jean ran to him and held up the same blade from earlier. Bringing it down, he slashed Eren’s arm before making drop Marco. “I WAS NICE ENOUGH TO LET HIM STAY WITH ME. I WON’T LET ANYONE COME BETWEEN US!” He rammed Eren into a wall before pushing him down to the ground, trapping him beneath him. “I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO REALLY CARES FOR HIM!!”

“No you don’t,” Eren snarled back, “If you did, you would never hurt him the way you are now.”

Jean’s face twisted angrily before he pulled the knife out of his arm and holding it up. “SHUT UP!” Jean brought the knife down to his arm again, and again, and again, aiming for the same place every time.

Eren screamed and felt some of his blood land on his face as Jean continued stabbing him, digging into the arm’s bone. At this rate, Jean was going to notice him healing…

Eren couldn’t shift in the building – there would be people killed if he did, including Marco. But he was already feeling some of his strength ebb away from the injury and blood loss.

_Shit shit shit!!_

Jean must have gotten bored with the knife, because he eventually stopped before seizing Eren by the hair again before slamming his head against the floor.

Now Eren was beginning to loose consciousness. As he was slipping away, his eyes fell on Marco on the other side of the room, sprawled out on the floor… eyes closed…

… In the exact same position… mom was in.

\--

_As Eren opened the front door, he looked around. “Mom! Dad! I’m back!” No answer. Now he was starting to feel scared. His dad would always be downstairs around this time of day. He was going to check there first._

_As he went to the stairs, he started to smell something… like iron. As he finally made it to the bottom, he flicked on the light-switch. He instantly regretted it._

_On the ground, his father was staring at him while on the ground, red stains in his clothes and there was blood pooled around him. Eren froze there automatically. “D-dad?” Slowly urging himself, he walked up to the figure on the ground and kneeled down. “Dad? Dad, can you hear me?” He reached for his father’s shoulder and shook, trying to get a response of some kind. A groan, words, breathing, anything. But there was nothing. His dad was dead. “No, no, please no!” Eren shouted as he kept moving his hand, praying that this was either a sick joke or a nightmare. He began crying and heaving in panic._

_He then heard something from upstairs. Mom. Eren instantly ran upstairs. When he reached the top of the basement stairs, he heard voices coming from the second floor._

_“Stay away from me!” Mom was still alive! Eren went for the next set of stairs and started going up, praying that he would be able to make it._

_“Carla! Shut up! Don’t make me do this again!” He didn’t recognize that voice. “Or do you wanna end up like that husband of yours?!”_

_He hurried and ran to his parent’s bedroom. “Mom!” Entering the room, he saw his mom standing against a wall, holding a bleeding arm. Someone else was in the room and turned around to see the newcomer._

_It was a man, who stared at Eren for a second before grinning disgustingly. “You must be Eren. You’re a pretty little boy aren’t you?” Eren backed up as the man began approaching him. “Just like your mother. You actually look like her when she was your age. Back when she was a sweet thing~”_

_Fear now fully taking control, Eren tried running around the man. “Mom!” He was caught by the hair and the man pulled him closer to him. Eren shouted in pain. It felt like his scalp was going to be torn off!_

_“Cain! Leave him alone!”_

_“Shut up Carla!” Eren tried to squirm away, but his strength was clearly no match for that of an adult male. He was then forced down to the ground, feeling impact against his chin. “Now, you’re going to get in the car outside, and me and Eren are going to follow you, alright?” Eren struggled to get away again. ‘Cain’ noticed, and growled. “Cut it out brat!”Eren managed to get his heel to hit Cain’s groin, getting him to release him, and he instantly tried to get up. “YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!” After a split second, there was a sickening chop and Eren felt pain bloom in his leg… and was unable to feel that leg’s foot._

_Eren looked back and saw a cleaver in Cain’s hand, buried into the wooden floor beneath… while his leg had been severed off at the knee. “Eren!!” His mom ran over and picked him up and tried to run._

_But… Cain raised the cleaver and swung it, getting her back. Here was a pained scream and she collapsed, holding Eren. “… Eren…”_

_Eren looked up and saw Cain starting to come closer. “Carla…” He grabbed her long hair and pulled her away from Eren. “Why? Why can’t you just be an obedient sister! Look what you made me do to your son!!” He set her down in front of her closet. “… No. You’re not worth bringing back.”_

_Mom was now limp, writhing in pain. She managed to look at Eren… looking defeated. “… I’m sorry Eren…” Tears were rolling down her face. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help your father… I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe…”_

_“Mom, no, mom, it’s not your fault!” Eren tried to get up, but he couldn’t. He then noticed Cain raising the cleaver. “MOM!”_

_“… I love you.”_

_Eren then watched as blood sprayed out from her neck. As if everything suddenly became slow motion, she fell down and Cain delivered another blow while yelling at her._

_When Cain finally stepped away from her, Mom was no longer moving. She was sprawled out on the floor, eyes closed…_

_Cain then walked in front of him. “Now Eren, you’re probably mad at me for doing what I had to do, but you’ll see that it was all necessary soon.” He reached down to touch him. “Let’s take care of that leg. I can put some gauze on it if you wa-”_

_“DON’T TOUCH ME!!” Eren shouted at him and slapped his hand away. “MONSTER! I’LL KILL YOU!! I’LL KILL YOU!!”_

\--

“EREN! EREN!!” Mikasa started calling out for her brother as soon as she got off the elevator. She and Armin had searched through the mailboxes that were in the building until they found the one that belonged to Marco, which was on the eight floor. “Owww…” She turned to see a brunette man holding his hand that had two bandaged stumps instead of fingers. He looked up and saw her and Armin, who was right behind her. She saw a flicker of recognition on his face. “Wh-what are you two doing here?”

“Looking for someone.” Mikasa studied him carefully. Why was someone like this in Marco’s place? She then heard something coming from the other end of the hallway. Sounded like shouting. She grasped the smaller boy’s hand and lead him to where the sound was coming from.

She felt him suddenly being pulled from her. “AH!” She turned around and saw that the man pulling Armin away from her and trying to go to the elevator.

“Armin!!” Within milliseconds, she flung her backpack at the man before snatching Armin back. Then she delivered several blows to the face, watching as he crumped down before kicking him in the jaw, feeling some of his teeth break. “Agh!” The man curled up, and something slipped out of his pocket. A photo… with Eren and Armin. It looked like the one he took that day when Armin used his phone to text Marco.

Mikasa’s brain immediately went to straight on offensive. She went straight over and pulled out a concealed knife she kept on herself before grinding her foot against the man’s hand, earing a pained scream. Mikasa grabbed the man by his head and held her knife against the man’s neck. “I suggest you think about what you do next. I can cut throat right now and that will be enough to kill you.”

“No, no don’t!!”

“Why do you have Eren’s picture? And don’t say you have no idea what I’m talking about!”

He didn’t answer, clearly hesitating. “Mikasa move!” She just barely moved out of the way before Armin slammed one of the vases that was in the hallway for decoration against the man’s head, knocking him out. “Come on, he’s not going to tell us anything. Let’s lock him up and deal with him later.”

“Alright.” Then the shouting from further down got louder. It sounded like Eren. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she and Armin dragged the man into a janitor closet that was next to the elevator, that was somehow unlocked, before cramming him in there. As Armin was getting something to barricade the closet, she bolted down to where the sound was coming from. It was coming from the flat that was supposed to be Marco’s. The door was open and she ran in.

She heard some more noise coming from the right end of the flat and went there, entering a work room and saw that there was an opening in the wall. Going in, she saw someone sitting over Eren, taking a picture. “GET OFF OF HIM!!” She charged over and dragged whoever was on Eren off. The person struggled against her and tried to back her into the wall, but she was able to throw him into it first.

“ARGH!” She watched as the person turned to face her. It was the same boy that was in the picture she saw at the base – Jean Kirschtein. “Who the hell are you?!”

Mikasa didn’t answer. Instead she held her knife out again and went to stab him underhand style. However, he moved away and held up a retractable blade and tried to get her. She managed to avoid his move and aimed for his stomach, which was blocked by his arm, but she got some satisfaction by watching his face twist as she plunged the knife into his arm. But then she felt something cut her on her face, next to her eye. She stumbled back and saw Jean smirk as he held up his blade, showing fresh blood. He then lunge for her again, this time getting her wrist as she raised it for self-defense.

“Mikasa!” She looked to the room’s entrance and saw Armin. Before she could do anything, Jean ran to him and held his blade against his neck, holding Armin above the ground.

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!!”

“Try me bitch!” Jean began leaving the room with Armin, but Armin wasn’t as defenseless as his appearance would usually suggest. Being the genius he was, he rammed his elbow into Jean’s chest, which got the taller boy to drop him as surprise took over. There was a few gags from him and blood came out of his mouth. That’s when Mikasa noticed a bandage on his chest.

As soon as Armin managed to get away from Jean, Mikasa ran over and delivered a kick to where Armin just elbowed him. He stumbled backwards before suddenly bolting out the room. “Armin, take care of Eren!” She ran out and heard the sound of glass shattering. Running to the living room, she saw that the patio glass door had been shattered. Mikasa went outside the broken door and saw that there was a fire escape. Looking down, she wasn’t able to see. She looked up, but there was no Jean going up either…

“SHIT!!” Having no idea where he was now, she went back inside. As she was moving she felt her wrist burn. She needed to do something about that injury…

-

“Eren!!” Armin shook his friend in an effort to get him to respond. There were several stab wounds to the shoulder and arm area, glass embedded in his hand, and a bloody nose. Why weren’t they healing?! Finally, there was a low groan from the brunette as his eyes opened. “Eren!”

“… Armin?” His voice was worn out, like the way it sometimes was if he stayed in titan-form too long. Eren pushed himself up and then looked around. “Where’s Jean? He was in here earlier?”

“He was, Mikasa started fighting with him, and then he ran…”

Eren was still a little dazed before his face suddenly looked worried. “Marco!!” Eren suddenly got up and stumbled over to Marco, which Armin finally saw on the ground, naked and bruised. “Marco!!” Eren held up in his arms and shook him to get a response. Nothing though.

Alarmed as well now, Armin ran over and picked up the freckled boy’s wrist before applying his fingers against it to feel a pulse. There was one… but it was too fast. And he didn’t seem to be breathing enough, although he did see the traces of bile in his mouth. It didn’t look like he was choking on anything though. He looked up at Eren. “Where did you find him!?”

“In that cage.” Eren pointed to a small metal box that sat in the far end of the room, a set of bars not too far frim it. Armin went over to it… and saw something lying in there.

“What…” Armin picked whatever it was up from inside the box. Holding it up, he recognized it instantly as the bottle of painkillers, which was empty. He showed it to Eren, who seemed to have recognized it.

“… No, no, please no,” Eren begged as he looked back at Marco. “Marco, please, please no,” he continued.

“I’m calling the hospital!” Armin pulled his phone out and dialed 911. “Give him CPR!”

Eren immediately did as he was told and started chest compressions.

Mikasa entered the room and saw what was happening, holding her wrist that was bleeding. “What’s wrong?!” She went over to Eren and looked at Marco.

“He has a drug overdose!!” Armin bit his finger as the phone continued to ring. “Come on, someone pick up!!”

“911, what is your emergency?”

“We need an ambulance! There’s a 17 year old boy who’s overdosed and it looks like he’s been raped! A-and my friend also needs medical attention!”

“Alright, we’re tracing your call right now sir. Is there anything else that we should know?”

“There were two people who I think were responsible, one of them is still here. We managed to trap him in a closet, after he tried attacking me and one of my friends.”

“I see… We finished tracing your call, and we’re dispatching a team right now. Please make sure the unconscious boy is given proper CPR until paramedics have taken him in. Please stay on the line with me.”

“Alright, I will” Armin looked over at Eren as he continued giving Marco CPR, and noticed a look on his face that seemed like what could only be called guilt.

-

“Fuck, that – Ng! – BITCH!!” Jean bit down on the string that was attached to the needle he was using to do stitches and pulled up, tightening them. He wasn’t expecting Jaeger to put up a fight, or for anyone else to show up. Let alone some exotic bitch that had a knife with her.

He growled as the sirens blaring from outside the basement continued. He managed to get down the fire escape before taking refuge in the lower level of the apartment. Several cars arrived a few minutes ago, an ambulance and several police cars – it was probably Jaeger and his friends who called. Even if it wasn’t, it was too risky to go out in public. He already saw Nathan being dragged into one of the cars – no point in getting involved with that guy from at this point.

He looked out the window that was just above the ground and saw the ambulance still standing by. He then saw a gurney being wheeled over to it, and saw Jaeger and the other right next to it. It was loaded onto the ambulance and he watched as they stood by.

“… Wait a sec… what?” Not sure if he was seeing things right, he took his phone out and snapped a picture. A few seconds after he did, Eren climbed into the ambulance as the blonde boy assisted the girl in. The ambulance’s doors closed before driving off, leaving behind several police cars.

As soon as it was gone from his sight completely, Jean looked back at the photo and looked at Jaeger. His left shoulder, where Jean stabbed him multiple times, only had a few light slices. Jean switched to the picture that he took after knocking Jaeger out. On that photo, the bone was visible, with deep cuts surrounding it.

“What the hell?!” He dropped the phone and stepped away. “Jaeger… what the fuck are you?!” Things like this didn’t happen with people!

… Did they?

-

Eren was sitting out in the hallway, as several nurses were busy inside of the room he was currently outside of.

The ambulance took ten minutes to arrive with some police. Armin showed where they had forced Nathan in, and the police found several illegal substances on him, most of them used in date rapes. So, even though the guy swore up and down about Eren attacking him first, the police took him in.

The police asked Eren a few questions, and Eren told them about what he did in the bathroom, and the mentioning of ‘selling’. They decided to let him off the hook on biting his fingers off, declaring it self-defense. He gave them Levi’s number for them to call.

However, Jean disappeared. Mikasa said he went out to the fire escape, and lost him there.

He ran his hand through his hair, wondering if Levi would just take over the investigation. Hopefully Levi would rip Nathan a new one. And would finally be able to put Jean in jail.

Mikasa was treated on the spot while Eren’s injuries were mostly healed up by the time help arrived. They only thing they did for him was remove the glass that was still stuck in his hand and wrapped gauze around it.

Marco… Eren looked at the room’s window, a curtain drawn so no one can look in. As soon as the medics arrived, they asked if they knew what kind of drug overdose it was so that they could try giving him an antidote if he needed it. They started pumping his stomach to get whatever they could out, then gave him activated charcoal to absorb whatever was left.

They applied disinfectants to all of Marco’s external wounds and wrapped them up. The internal tears that he had were also treated. But since they gave him activated charcoal, they were going to be ready for applying more treatment when the charcoal was going to be expelled.

… But right now… they were running a rape kit. Since Marco was unconscious, the doctor told the nurses to proceed, since they weren’t sure how long it would take for him to wake up…

“Eren?” He looked away from the window and saw Mikasa standing with a soda can and a bagged sandwich. “Here. Figured you must be hungry.”

“… Thanks.” He took both the can and sandwich but didn’t bother opening either, instead setting them aside. “… Did anyone reach Levi?”

“Yeah. Police managed to contact him. He’s on his way…”

“… Did you talk to him?”

“No. I think he was in the middle with Hanji about Annie when they finally called him…”

That’s right. Annie. The others were going to hear about this too. “… Did they tell him about Jean?”

“… They did.” She sat down next to him. “They searched the area, but he wasn’t found anywhere… Sorry I let him get away.”

Eren shook his head. “It’s my fault.” His voice cracked with that. “I should have gone back to check on Marco last night.”

“Eren, you didn’t know that this would happen. None of us did,” Mikasa told him.

“I couldn’t help him though! When I was there, I was totally useless!!” He held his face in his hands as he felt himself sob. “… Just like with mom.”

Mikasa placed her arm over his shoulder and held him close. “Shh, shhh.” As he continued sobbing, she kept holding him. Several minutes passed before he finally stopped, and there was the sound of the door opening and several footsteps coming out. “How is he?”

“He’s stable for now. We finished examining him now, and we’ll leave it up to him whether or not to have his rape kit tested. He should be awake in several hours.” It was the doctor. Eren looked up at her as she was jotting a few things down on her notepad. “We’ll have to ask him if he has any vision problems given his eye though.”

“What do you mean?”

“His eye had also taken a lot of damage. It’s unlikely that any of it is permanent thankfully, but we just want to be sure if his vision is alright. And the area around the eye is also injured, so we had to place an eye pad over it so that it’s protected…” She looked up at the two of them. “Are you two sure he doesn’t have any relatives that will come for him?”

Eren looked down. “… Pretty sure.”

She bit her lower lip. “… Normally we don’t allow anyone to visit under these circumstances… but I think this can be an exception… as well as staying the night.”

“… Really?!” Eren stood up from his seat.

“Yes, just please be sure to be quiet, and ready to leave if we need you to or the patient wakes up and asks you to.”

“Alright.” Eren went to the door, hesitating before taking a deep breath and going in. Marco was laid against the pillows in the bed with an IV attached to his arm, a white padding over his right eye, gauze wrapped around his arms where Eren saw the puncture wounds earlier and his nech were the bites were, and a few small bandages on his face and wherever there were smaller cuts. He saw a chair next to the bed and sat down and looked at Marco. “… I’m sorry I was unable to help…” He reached to hold Marco’s hand but hesitated at the last second.

“Hey.” He looked up at Armin who was now at the door. “Ran into the doctor, and she told me about the exception she’s going to make for us to stay here. Guess one of us should go to the hotel so we can get our stuff?”

“I’ll do it,” Mikasa immediately volunteered. She then looked at his arms. “Is that another book?”

“Yeah. One of the police came back from the apartment and found this in Marco’s room. She came over and asked if I could give it to Marco when he woke up.”

Mikasa raised an eyebrow and held her hand out. “Let me see.” Armin handed the book to her and she examined it. Eren took a look and saw that it was ‘The Picture of Dorian Grey’. It looked like it was barely touched though. Mikasa opened the book and started flipping through the pages when something fell out and fluttered to the floor.

Eren bent down to pick it up since it landed right in front of his feet. He then saw that it was the photograph with him and mom. He stared at it for a long time before looking at Marco.

“… Guess he figured out that you would want it back and hid it there for safekeeping,” Mikasa told him.

Eren didn’t respond, too dumbfounded to find any words.

“Well, I’m heading out. I got my phone with me. Call if anything happens.” Before she left though, she placed the sandwich and soda in Eren’s lap. “Be sure to eat.” With that, Mikasa left the room.

“…” Armin then stood next to Eren. “… Hey, Eren? You’re probably beating yourself up about this whole situation. And don’t say you aren’t. I’ve known you too long…” Eren didn’t say anything. “You were reckless as usual… but… if you haven’t gone over there…” Armin kneeled down next to him before continuing. “Then it would be possible that Marco would be dead by now. Yeah, it sucks that you couldn’t do much when you got there, but you still helped him.”

“… It doesn’t feel like it though.”

Armin sighed. “I don’t think it ever does in this scenario… although,” Armin stood up. “I think just being here with Marco when he wakes up will be enough for him. If you don’t stick with him in this situation, you won’t be able to truly gain his trust or give him the help he needs.”

“… What if he freaks out and tries to push me away?”

“… Then you wait for him to be ready to let you in.” After a few seconds, Armin began fidgeting. “Uh, I know this isn’t the kind of thing I should say after all that, but do you have any idea where the restrooms are? I drank three cans of soda a while ago!”

“Uh, down the left I think. There should be-” Before he could say ‘a sign’, Armin bolted out at full speed.

Now left in the room completely alone with Marco, he looked back at the unconscious boy.

He held his photo up and looked at it. It didn’t seem damaged in anyway. “… You didn’t have to worry about taking care of this,” Eren told Marco. “But you still placed it someplace so it wouldn’t be thrown away, didn’t you?” He let out a strained laugh. “You need to stop worrying so much for others…” He moved his chair closer to the bed. “But still… thank you.” He pulled out his wallet and placed the picture back in its place. “See you later Mom.” Closing the wallet and putting it away, Eren leaned closer to Marco.

_Be supportive of him._

Remembering what Levi told him, Eren nodded. He was going to wait for Marco to wake up, and even if he was pushed away, he would still wait. He looked at the freckled hand before him and reached for it, holding it gently.

“I’ll be here. And I will never do anything to hurt you.” As he held Marco’s hand, he felt a gentle flush on his face. “… And I promise that when you wake up… I’ll tell you everything myself… Everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you guys know what happened with Eren's folks...
> 
> In one of the comments thread, I was talking with PrinceClear (http://vanilla-shake-prince.tumblr.com/) that Armin would be a yaoi/yuri distributor and who would get stuff from him and his business partner (Hanji and occasionally Mikasa) Thank you for allowing me to mention the headcannon in the fic in an attempt to lighten things up a bit!!
> 
> I love Mikasa so much =3=


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aahh, it's a wonderful day to update. what better date to torment my characters than on one of their birthdays? IM SO SORRY EREN PLEASE FORGIVE ME QAQ
> 
> and readers, sorry that this update is at the end of the month - things have gotten pretty crappy for me during the last few weeks home-life wise, and I started a new fic (that is fluff)
> 
> And it has officially been a whole year since I began writing this story!! Yay! (OW) Thank you to everyone who has left kudos, bookmarked or subscribed to the story despite the pain and delayed updates, it has meant so much. and to the anons who sent me hate messages on tumblr, sorry my story isn't to your tastes.
> 
> And I have decided that once I finish my current semester, I'll be offering commissions! I'll put up more information before then, but definitely when the drama at home finally dies down... but feel free to shoot me questions if you have any!!

“Back up. Slowly,” Levi instructed Hanji. Knowing that the speckled being was behind him, arms wide.

“Naww, no hug for me?”

“No. Not when you clearly haven’t showered in four days.” He turned around and watched as they crossed their arms. “What is it.”

“Annie’s vital signs are improving. Tell Isabel and Farlan thanks for their share in work.”

“Will do.” Levi brushed past Hanji. “Is there any more news with the rape kit test?”

“… We finished running the DNA we found. We did find several matches, but they’re all from unsolved cases, twenty total.”

Twenty. “Is Kirschtein in the system by any chance?”

“No, he isn’t.”

“So he’s still in the running,” Levi stated. “How old are these cases?”

“The oldest one is 10 years.”

Levi looked at Hanji. “TEN?! What the hell is wrong with the police?!”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Hanji muttered. “I’m guessing your going to be busy with the phone soon, calling every single one who was involved?”

“YOU GODDAMN RIGHT I AM,” Levi snarled, feeling a vein throb. “AND WHO KNOWS, MAYBE THEY JUST NEED SOMEONE TO SET THEIR HEADS STRAIGHT.”

“I’ll get you the numbers.”

As Hanji walked away and left him alone, Levi felt his phone vibrate. Pulling it out, he saw an unfamiliar number before deciding to answer it. If this was a prank call, then might as well warn the shits behind it what was coming. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this Levi Ackerman?” The voice sounded feminine, and that of an adult.

“Yeees, and who might this be?”

“I’m Officer June of Sina’s Interior police department.”

_Oh, the police. How ironic._

“What’s this about?” Levi wouldn’t be surprised if it was about Eren and ramming some vehicle into a post or something.

“We were given as an emergency contact for both Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jaeger.”

Levi blinked. They mentioned Mikasa. Clearly this was a bigger situation than usual. “Yes.”

“We need you to come here. They were physically assaulted, one of them was going to be kidnapped, and they have a friend in the hospital.”

“What friend?” Was she talking about Armin?!

“Uh, hang on a sec…” There was the sound of papers being shuffled around. “His name is Marco Bodt. He’s currently comatose.”

-

Eren sat nearby the bed as the nurse changed the drip bag, keeping his eyes on Marco. The bruises that were still visible had changed from a red color to a purple one, contrasting clearly against his medium dark skin. His hair was still a bit of a mess from when they brought him here, the usual area where it would be parted now all floofy. He was now visibly breathing – which was a huge relief to Eren. The doctor said that they had finished with the activated charcoal, and that it seemed to have removed everything that was harmful.

… She also said there seemed to have been something else in his system that they found… some kind of aphrodisiac if he remembered right…

Eren continued looking at Marco as he hugged himself. It was 8 in the morning, and they found him around 2 yesterday… and Marco still wasn’t awake yet…

That and he was still debating on how to tell Marco everything.

He couldn’t say “Hey, I’m the gigantic mutant thing that found you in an abandoned field and killed several people around you that were going to molest you, then I decided to find you to see how you were and then it turns out that your asshole boyfriend is actually a guy who raped and put one of my friend’s sister into a coma, and we were planning on killing him!” That was just going to push him away for sure…

There was a soft knock at the door, prompting him to look up. He saw Mikasa standing there, holding chocolate milk and a bagel while the nurse was heading out of the room. “Here.” She handed both things over to him as she walked over. She then looked over at Marco. “Still nothing?”

“… Not even any eye movement…”

Mikasa remained quiet as she sat down next to Eren. “… Did you get any sleep at all? You were awake when I woke up, and when I fell asleep last night too…”

“… I took a little nap…”

“How long was this nap?”

“… Three hours?”

“That’s not enough.”

“… It wasn’t really good sleep anyway…” Eren ran his hand through his hair. When he tried to fall asleep, he kept seeing Marco beaten up, back at the apartment. He could care less if he was sleep deprived by this point after all of what’s been going on.

“Well, Levi called me. He said that he’s going to be here soon and that he’ll check up on us first for a bit before going to talk to the police.”

Eren nodded in acknowledgement. “Okay.” He didn’t really care if Levi saw them or the police first. He just wanted him to put Nathan away for good and find Jean. “… Do you think he already told the others?”

“Dunno. But we should ask once he gets here. In the meantime, please eat something.”

Eren sighed before lifting the bagel up to his mouth and took a small bite. When he did, he looked back at Marco. “… Will Marco be able to eat solid food when he wakes up?”

Mikasa shrugged. “I really don’t know Eren. But I wouldn’t be surprised after all of the charcoal that he would have to stick to liquid for a while.”

“He’s going to be starving though.” Eren tried an all-liquid diet once, and it was absolute torture.

“Better than getting worse though.”

Eren ate some more as he pondered. She was right, but he hated the idea of forcing Marco on an only liquid diet, especially when he already ate very little…

Finishing the bagel slowly, there was a soft knock at the doorway, Armin peeking his head in. “Hey. How’s the fort holding?”

“Same as before,” Eren answered.

“You sure you don’t want to walk around for a bit? Don’t want your legs to fall asleep for an eternity.”

“I’m fine.”

“… If you say so.”

After what felt like half an hour, the sound of Mikasa’s phone went off with its pop music ring tone. Eren watched as she scrambled for it, pulling it out of her bag and pressing the answer button. “Yes? Levi!” She paused as she listened to the phone. “The room? 5710.” Mikasa went quiet for a moment again. “Okay. We’re right here.” She hung up and looked at Eren. “Levi’s right outside.”

Eren took a deep breath, trying to get whatever nerve he could get.

After what was suppose to be 5 minutes – but felt like forever thanks to the stress – there was the familiar sound of boots hitting the floor. “The weather report said that it was suppose to be thundershowers, not a hurricane.” Eren looked at the door and watched as Levi appeared. Soaking wet.

Levi looked over first at Eren and the other two before looking at Marco. “How’s he been?”

Eren rubbed his arms. “Uh, they had to remove some painkiller out of his system… so, if anything, he is better than before…”

Nodding, the shorter man walked over to Marco and looked at him. “… So Kirschtein was there?”

“… Yes.” Armin was the one to reply.

“Thought you said that he was going to be away for a week.”

“We did,” Mikasa interjected.

Levi looked at her apologetically. “I’m guessing Bodt isn’t the kind to tip him off. So I’m not accusing him.”

“… Did you tell the others yet?”

“… No. I want to get all the details together before I go and tell them that their… plans have been changed drastically. Besides, Leonhart will probably be up by tonight. Don’t think they want this on their minds when that happens.”

Eren nodded, glad Levi was thoughtful enough not to tell them, given there was no telling what the reaction would be. “Okay…”

Levi walked over to the IV drip, inspecting it. “They are keeping this room clean, right?”

“Yeah. The doctor was nice too.”

“… I’m guessing you three are the only visitors,” Levi said as he turned back around.

“Marco doesn’t have any relatives,” Eren replied.

There was a nod from Levi. “And I doubt that he has any friends, internet or otherwise.”

“… They… ran a rape kit yesterday… as soon as he got here… you… are going to look into this, right?”

“I’ve said the answer before Eren… But, since there was the whole commotion about you being a kidnapping target, I now can definitely take over his case as well, if he presses one. It’ll take some time to get all of the evidence as well as the police to hand the shitbag over to us.” He looked away for a moment. “If it makes you feel better about it Eren, I can smash the rest of his hand. And the other one as well.”

“… They told you about what I did to Nathan?”

“Yes. And I’m planning on buying a cake for a reward. And maybe a pet.”

As Levi said that, the doctor, Rols if Eren remembered right, came back in. “Oh, uh, who is this?”

“He’s our legal guardian,” Mikasa told her. “He just came here to check on us before the police.”

“Oh… so, he’s not here for Mr. Bodt,” she said as she looked over at the bed.

“Sorry for the disappointment,” Levi said.

“… Well, there have been worst visitors, in my experience anyway,” Dr. Rols sighed. “But at least there were people who did come to see him.”

“Just these three right? No one suspicious?”

“None, I checked myself. And if there were, then they would have to deal with Will, the security guard. And he’s got five kids, so he ain’t soft on the creeps. Specially in these cases.”

“Good to hear.”

Dr. Rols nodded as she checked the monitors and wrote a few things down. “As much as I hate so say this, his physical recovery might take a little longer than we thought, thanks to the aphrodisiac we found. And I recommend that he goes to therapy after he wakes up. Mental scars take a long time to heal… but I think it’s unlikely he will ever really be the way he was before”

Eren hung his head as he processed all of that… is this what happened with mom when she was younger?

He listened to the sound of the doctor’s heels clacking before the sudden shuffling of Levi’s feet. “Wait. Did you say aphrodisiac?”

“Uh, yes. Why?”

“… Nothing. Just curious.”

She nodded, heading out.

Eren looked at Levi again, seeing a stern look on his face, and he headed to the door. “Wh-what’s wrong?

“… The mystery drug that was in Leonhart’s system. It was an early prototype for an aphrodisiac formula that was rejected several years ago.” Levi looked back at Eren. “Keep an eye on things as I go to the police to talk to them. If the doctor tells you anything else, call me or at least leave a message on my phone.”

Before Eren could ask him anything, Levi left the room, leaving the three of them with Marco.

_Wait… Annie… also had an aphrodisiac in her system?_

Biting the inside of his mouth, Eren looked back over at Marco. Was he going to be unconscious the same way she was? But his vitals seemed to be more active than hers when he saw her before… that was a good sign, right?

Now more scared than earlier, Eren buried his face into his hands. He felt Mikasa hold him again as the urge to break into a sob came to him.

-

Mikasa inspected a pasta cup she got from the shelf in the cafeteria before showing it to Armin. “Think Eren will eat this?”

“Mmm, doubt it.” Armin held up a sandwich and pudding cup. “I found this though.”

“What kind of sandwich is that?”

“Uh, tuna.”

“Does it have vegetables in it?” Eren never liked his tuna sandwiches mixed with vegetables of any kind. And he was also picky when the bread became soggy.

Armin looked back at the sandwich. “I have no idea.”

Mikasa sighed. “I really wished he would come down here to pick out his own food…”

“… But he wants to keep and eye on Marco… especially after what Levi said…”

She bit her lower the inside of her mouth. Mikasa was also concerned by the fact that Annie had an aphrodisiac… but he said that it was a rejected prototype, so there was a chance that it won’t be the same thing happening to Marco that happened to Annie… they found it on the first test the medics took for Marco, so that was a good thing…

… She really hadn’t seen Eren anywhere near this kind of stressed out since after their parents were killed… when they learned that he was a shifter.

\--

_Mikasa was packing up her school thing, surprised by how long she had to stay afterschool for a make up test, when there was a knock at the classroom door. She listened as her teacher went over to it and opened it, revealing a short guy with dark hair. “Yes, may I help you.”_

_“Is Mikasa Ackerman here?”_

_“Yes, why?”_

_He held up some kind of badge. “I’m Corporal Levi. This is a family emergency involving her brother and parents.”_

_Mikasa stood up and ran over to him. “What happened? Were they in a car accident?” She began panicking, countless thoughts of what could have happened to them starting to fill her head._

_“We’ll explain on the way.” A person – Mikasa couldn’t tell if it was a woman or a man – stood right behind Levi as they said that._

_Mikasa followed the two of them out of the school and to a police car, where a tall blond man was waiting next to it. “This is Jaeger’s sister?”_

_“What’s going on?” She felt her voice reach a higher pitch as she asked._

_The blond man kneeled down in front of her. “Mikasa… I hate to tell you this… but someone broke into your family’s house… and your parents were found to be dead.”_

_She felt tears well up in her eyes. “What about Eren?! Is he okay?!”_

_“… It seems that he ended up entering the house… after that though… He’s under some… unusual circumstances. That’s why we’re here.”_

_“So he is alive?!”_

_“Yes… but we’ll have to explain everything else to you later. So please get in the car.”_

_She nodded and did as she was told._

_The drive felt like it took forever. She lost her parents again… and god knows what happened to Eren. She kept gnawing her lips in fear, praying that Eren was really okay._

_As the car pulled into the street her house was on, she noticed that there were several other vehicles already there… large heavy ones.. The house was surrounded by yellow tape as several people in military armor were around it. She also noticed a huge whole in the roof, like something fell through it. She felt her stomach churn. Just what happened exactly?_

_As the car pulled up and was parked, she saw Levi turn to her. “Mikasa, can you promise us something? Whatever you see in there, the condition of your brother, understand that it’s not life threatening. But you cannot go telling people what it is.”_

_“Why not?!”_

_Levi sighed. “You’ll see why soon.” As he got out, a woman with strawberry blond hair and a grey-haired man who seemed to have the same haircut ran up to him. “How are things in there?”_

_“Not good, he’s still refusing to move out of the house or drop the body,” the woman answered, looking exhausted._

_Mikasa took a step closer to her. “Are you talking about Eren?”_

_The woman looked at Mikasa and then at Levi. “Who is this sir?”_

_“The daughter. We’re taking her in.”_

_“Wait what?” The grey-hair looked at Mikasa. “You seriously think she’s going to be enough for what’s in there? We’re going to need a damn truckload of – OWW!” The man bit his tongue while talking due to the fact the woman shoved him aside._

_“Don’t mind him miss. My name is Petra Ral.” She held her hand out for Mikasa. “Please follow me inside.”_

_“… Okay.” Mikasa reached out for Petra’s hand and let her lead her to the house, Levi behind them. She saw the person with the glasses rush in, knocking several people aside on their way to the door._

_As Mikasa finally was inside, she saw that the top part of the stairs had been destroyed somehow, and there was debris everywhere on the floor and walls, and she could smell something burning. She kept pleading in her mind for Eren to be okay._

_Then she heard the speckled person talk from inside the living room. “Hey Eren, how are you? It seems like you had quite the fall. I’m not going to hurt you, okay?”_

_Mikasa then heard a loud groan, stopping her in her tracks._

_There was the sound of something large hitting the floor, and Mikasa felt the house shake. “Whoa! So you are awake, huh?”_

_“Hanji, please stay further back!!”_

_There was some more noise, and Mikasa looked up at Petra. Petra looked back at her and at Levi. Levi looked at Mikasa with softening eyes. “We’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”_

_Mikasa hesitated before allowing herself to be lead all the way to the living room. As she finally entered, she saw that her parent’s bed along with several other things had fallen through a big hole in the upstairs floor, sm, and seemed to have been burned. Trying to process what she was seeing, she heard the groan again and looked at where everyone was gathered._

_In the far corner of the living room, there was some kind of creature. It looked human from what Mikasa could see, but then she saw that everything down from the torso was missing, instead replaced by a smoldering stump, explaining the burning smell. She also noticed pointy ears, like an elf. As she continued looking, she saw it was cradling something in one of its arm, using the other one to keep people away. As she continued looking she finally realized what it was holding._

_It was mom._

_Horrified, she looked at Levi. “What… is it?”_

_Levi looked down at Mikasa before kneeling down. “It’s your brother Mikasa. He’s in there.”_

_“… What? He… doesn’t look anything like that…”_

_“He has a special ability called shifting, that allows him to turn into… that.” She looked back at the creature huddled away and watched as he swung his arm at the person with glasses again, holding mom even closer. “Normally, we could communicate with people like him when in this state, but he doesn’t seem to be stable.”_

_She turned her head to face him, not entirely sure if she was believing any of this. “Why am I here?”_

_“… I was hoping you could try to get through to him. Get him to set your mom’s body down so we can take it and make sure it can be buried… we can get him back to how he usually is afterwards.”_

_“… What if I can’t?”_

_“… Then we’ll have to use force. And if we do that…” Mikasa watched his eyes focus on Eren. “He’s going to be in pain for a long time.”_

_Mikasa looked at her feet before nodding. “I’ll try.”_

_“Good. I’ll be behind you.”_

_Mikasa took a deep breath before turning around and began walking to her brother. As she was less than ten feet away, he looked at her, his eyes a teal shade of green. It was him. Eren growled at her before holding mom close again. “Eren, it’s me, Mikasa. You recognize me, right?” She stood still as she and Eren looked at each other. Mikasa saw tears running down his face, and heard him make a mournful groan._

_“Eren… I don’t know exactly what happened… but please, listen to me.” She began walking closer again. “You need to set mom down. She needs to be buried…” Eren made another groan, glaring at Mikasa. “Please… Eren,” Mikasa begged. “I love you.” She reached out for his face, placing her hands on Eren’s nose. He was much warmer than she was, like a hot teacup, and it hurt. But she didn’t pull away._

_After several minutes, Eren seemed to go slack, and he finally lowered mom down to the floor. There was some shouting as several people came over with a gurney with a body bag and placed her on it._

_Mikasa watched as the body bag was zipped closed and was taken away, still staying next to Eren. But then she felt him wobble, making her take a step back as he fell onto his side. “Eren?”_

_She tried to kneel down, but Levi stopped her. “Please stand aside for a moment.” He shoved her over to Petra before going over to the oversized creature and suddenly pulled a knife out._

_“What are you going to do to him?!” Mikasa tried to run back over but was held back. She watched as Levi sunk the blade into the neck and began cutting before pulling the knife out and stuck his arms into where the incision was… and saw him pull something out, causing a sudden release of what was either smoke or steam._

_Mikasa looked at what was in Levi’s arms before recognizing what it was. “Eren!” Now no longer being held back, she ran over to Levi and held her brother’s face to get him to look at her as Levi knelt down._

_His stare was blank, almost as if looking past her. But other than that, he seemed unhurt, besides the odd bruise on his leg. Then after what felt like an eternity, there seemed to be a flicker of familiarity in his eyes. “… Mikasa?”_

_There was a sudden sob from her as she heard him call out to her. She began crying right there and held him as close as possible. “Eren…”_

_“… I couldn’t help her.” Mikasa froze before moving back a bit to look at Eren. His face no longer was blank. His eyes were turning red and tears began filling them up. “I couldn’t help mom… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” He began crying as he apologized. Mikasa stared at him. Why was he apologizing? He didn’t do this their mom, he couldn’t have!_

_Mikasa watched as Levi stood up, still holding Eren close. “Hanji, get ready to treat the kid.”_

_“Alright!” Hanji started following Levi out, and Mikasa followed after them. As she was about to leave the living room, she looked back at what was Eren’s… other body. Petra was standing next to it as several other people were pulling something else out of it… from the stomach._

_Not wanting to see anymore, she hurried after her brother. He needed her._

_\--_

Mikasa sighed as she recalled all of that. After Eren was put on an ambulance with Hanji, Levi explained a bit more to her about titan shifters and stuff. And after that, she learned that her mom’s brother, named Cain, was the one who broke into their house after getting out of jail, and that he killed their dad before trying to get their mom to leave with him.

Mikasa later learned that Eren watched their mom as Cain killed her, after getting his leg severed, although it grew back… although she never asked or was told about it, she was certain that both things served as a trigger for his first transformation as a shifter. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what happened after that…

Eren fell into a huge depression after everything that had happened there. He stayed up all night for weeks until he would cry himself to sleep, and he would hardly eat anything. And at the funeral, he broke down into tears and wouldn’t leave the graves for their parents until he passed out from exhaustion. Levi got him to see a therapist to help with the mourning, and after several months, he seemed to be doing better.

The three of them ended up spending so much time together that after a year, Levi opted to adopt them. It was all-pure chance that it turned out Levi was actually a genetic cousin of Mikasa. From what she understood, Levi’s mom was related to her dad as a cousin as well… she wasn’t really sure what that really made her and Levi, but she didn’t pay much mind to it.

Armin was eventually told about Eren being a shifter, but that was another story.

She looked at some sushi that was in plastic containers before selecting some nigiri and maki rolls. Eren enjoyed sushi, so hopefully she could get him to eat these for lunch.

After she grabbed something for herself, Mikasa and Armin bought everything and started heading back to the room.

As they were walking down the hall, they saw several people running in and out of the room. Alarmed, she rushed over and grabbed a nurse’s sleeve before she passed her. “What’s going on?”

“I-I can’t say.” Something crashed in the room as the nurse finished that statement, and she started moving again. Mikasa then saw someone push Eren out of the room before the last nurse made it in and then closed the door.

“Eren what’s going on?!” He remained silent as he stared at the door, tears in his eyes.

Then he finally spoke. “Marco woke up. And I made him freak out…”

-

Marco felt hands all over him. They were just going all over him, dragging their nails into his skin, breaking the skin. “Stop, please stop,” He begged as he tried to move. He felt his arms and being held down, keeping him trapped as the hands continued feeling him. He still couldn’t see anything despite his eyes being wide open because it was pitch black around him, making him panic more. “Please, stop…”

He began hearing laughter. It sounded like it was in the distance, but he was able to hear it clearly. Marco felt himself beginning to breath irregularly. “No, stop it,” He pleaded again, answered by increase laughter. As he continued struggling to be free, he started hearing words.

“Slut.”

“Bitch.”

“Why is he making a big deal out of it?”

“Guys don’t get raped.”

Marco felt himself sob, not wanting to hear any of this. “No…”

“He’s so greedy~”

“He must really want it.”

As he was forced to listen, his efforts to get away became more intense as he began thrashing around. “Let me go!!” He suddenly felt a set of hands on his throat while the rest seemed to have retreated. Marco gasped for air as the fingers around his neck stayed in place. “Please…”

“Shut up.” His eyes widened as he recognized the voice as a face appeared in front of him. It was Jean. “I don’t want to hear any of it,” he snarled as he used his whole body to keep Marco down. “You’re absolutely worthless! I don’t know why I put up with you!!” Marco choked on whatever air he had left, still crying, and closed his eyes to block out some of the pain. “It’s time for a punishment.” Jeans fingers suddenly began tightening and he forced his palms down on his throat. “You asked for this.”

Suddenly, it all went dark again… but not pitch dark. The kind of dark when your eyes are closed during a long nap. As if he was just waking up. As he was slowly coming to, he noticed that he was on something soft.

_… Did Jean take me out of the cage?_

Confused, Marco tried to open his eyes to see his surroundings. However, only one eye was able to open. As soon as he realized that, he then looked around the room he was in. This-this wasn’t the apartment. Where was he?! Marco felt himself beginning to breath irregularly and tried to get out of the bed.

“Marco?” He froze when he heard his name.

_No… it can’t be…_

He slowly turned his head to the side where the voice came from. Sitting next to the bed with eyes focused on him was Eren. “You’re finally awake!” He moved closer to Marco as he said that.

_Why is he here?_

“Are you in any pain? I can call a doctor if you want!”

Marco’s open eye went wide at that. He was at the hospital.

_No, please no, not here! Not like this!_

He began flailing, trying to get out of the bed and the room. “Marco, hold on! You’re going to hurt yourself!” Marco felt Eren hold his shoulders as he said that. The moment he did, he suddenly saw himself back at the old house being held down.

“NO!!” Marco shoved him away, falling off the bed as he did. When he landed of the floor, he felt pain shoot through his whole body, making cry out as he tried to hold himself up. Then he realized what he did.

He pushed Eren.

“Marco, be careful. You’re already in bad shape as it is.” Marco looked up and saw Eren slowly walking over. “Let’s try this again-”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, don’t hit me, don’t hit me, please don’t,” Marco stammered while raising his hands for protection. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t hit me, I’m sorry!”

“Marco, I’m not going to hit you!” Eren stood a few feet from, and Marco tried to get farther from him. He was going to, he was mad at him. “Slow down for a moment, or you’ll hurt yourself.” Eren kneeled before reaching for Marco.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!!” Marco tore away and held his arms over his head, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right arm as he did. Despite the pain, he still tried to get further back, turning away from Eren.

“Marco, the IV!” Marco heard some footsteps going away from him before stopping. “Dr. Rols!”

“What is it?!” As he heard footsteps enter the room, Marco curled up even more and tried to block out whatever was being said.

_Oh god, not the doctor! I don’t want anyone to see me!!_

If there was a God, he must have been ignoring Marco’s thoughts as he felt someone touch him again. He used one of his hands to try to push the person away, but knocked something else over instead. Someone then picked him up, and despite his attempts to get away from them, he was placed back on the bed.

He looked over at the door, hoping that there might be a chance that he could bolt for it. As his eyes were focused there, he saw someone pushing Eren outside before closing the door. As the door was being shut, he watched as Eren turned around to face him. Marco saw tears in his eyes.

_… Why are you crying?_

He didn’t get an answer for his question, and soon found himself blacking out again.

-

Eren paced back and forth in the hallway, far away from Marco’s room. His mind was filled with a replay of Marco waking up. After he fell out of the bed, he accidentally pulled on the IV drip and it was ripped out of his arm as a result. He started loosing a lot of blood, but Eren didn’t think Marco realized it when it happened. As his mind drifted back to Marco’s face, all he could see was someone scared beyond all recognition…

_Did I approach him the wrong way? I was excited to see him awake… shit, I probably scared him!_

He began mentally hitting himself in deep regret of his actions. Now Marco probably was more terrified than he would have been if Eren hadn’t approached him.

After what felt like forever, he heard the door opened again, making him look down the hall. He saw everyone come out, except Dr. Rols and Marco. Eren went over to one of the nurses as fast as he could. “What happened?”

“We had to sedate him. He’s asleep again, but he should wake up within an hour or so. We treated where the IV was removed – he lost a fair amount of blood, but nothing life threatening… although… his reaction pretty much confirms what Dr. Rols was worried about, concerning his mental health…”

“… It’s my fault, right?”

“I wouldn’t say that. I think that he would have reacted in a similar way regardless if anyone else was there or if he was alone…”

Eren didn’t say anything in response. He looked over at the window, the curtains once again drawn. “… What’s going to happen next?”

“I think the doctor will have him moved to another room since he’s no longer in a coma, and will probably give him something to help him relax a little more. Whether or not you or your friends will be let in the room will depend on whether or not the patient allows it.”

“… I see…”

The nurse walked away, leaving him by himself as he stood next to the door.

“Eren?” He glanced behind him and saw Mikasa. “… Do you want to go for a walk? I gave my number to the doctor earlier so that if anything happened while we weren’t around, she would call us.”

“… Alright.”

-

Marco felt himself blink several times as he came to. He was staring at the ceiling for a while, his mind completely blank before he heard a familiar sound of rain hitting a window. He looked to the side and saw that he was now next to a window that showed the outside to him … There was hardly a thing visible with all of this rain. It was pouring outside like a huge faucet had turned on and it was all gushing out at full capacity.

He tried to sit up when he felt a strange pain in his arm… it was different from the rest of the pain he was experiencing. He looked at his arm and saw that there was gauze wrapped around the forearm. Marco then looked at the other arm and saw that an IV drip was inserted into it.

_… What happened?_

As soon as he asked himself that, it all came crashing down on him. He woke up in a different room earlier, and Eren was there… he tried to touch him, but Marco pushed him away and fell on the floor… everything after that happened too fast for him to recall. He bit his lips as he leaned back into the bed. Eren must hate him right now…

_… Where’s Jean though?_

“Oh good, you’re awake again.” Not recognizing the voice, Marco looked in the direction he heard it from. A woman that had her hair in a neat bun was sitting in a chair that was against the wall. “Marco, I’m Dr. Rols. How are you feeling?”

“… Sore,” Marco managed to croak.

“I guess that’s to be expected,” she admitted. “Anything else? Lightheadedness, nausea, cramps?”

“… Not really.”

“Alright.” She slowly got up from the chair and came over to the bed. “Marco, do you remember what happened to you?”

“… You mean in the other room?”

She shook her head. “I mean… before then.”

Marco realized what she was asking and looked away. She probably already made her mind up about what happened to him.

“… If you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine. But you can change your mind later, okay?” He didn’t say anything but simply nodded. “Okay.” She pulled something out from her coat and placed it on the table nearby. “Marco, I need to check your eye right now.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“… It took a lot of damage, but it doesn’t seem to be permanent. However, I just wanted to check as soon as you were awake what your vision is like.”

“… Okay.” He tried to remain still as she reached for him, and he felt something come of his head just before whatever was blocking his right eye was taken away.

As soon as his eye was able to see again, he cringed at the pain when light entered it. As it slowly adjusted, the room had become blurred. “Please tell me what you’re seeing.”

“Everything is… kinda blurred…”

She took out a note pad and wrote something down on it quickly. “Anything else?”

“… Not really.”

She nodded. “Well, let’s keep the eyepatch on then. We’ll want to keep your eye safe from anymore trauma, and the area around it is also injured.” She picked up a box on the table next to the bed and opened it, pulling another pad that was identical to the one she took off him just a minute ago. He closed his right eye as the pad was place over it, and the blurred vision was returned to normal.

Dr. Rols pulled away from him, trying to smile at him. “I’ll be stepping out soon, so you’ll be alone for a while… do you want me to allow your visitors in? Brother, sister and best friend? They went out earlier while you were asleep, but if you want to see them, I can let them know.”

She must have been referring to both Mikasa and Armin when she mentioned the sister and best friend. “…” Marco looked down at his blankets and began fidgeting with them. “… They’re mad at me, right? For pushing Eren…”

“No. In fact, they’re all worried about you.”

Marco wasn’t sure if she was just telling him that to make him feel better or not.

He then realized that he should ask for Jean.

“… Uh… what about my boyfriend? I-I mean, he’s probably busy with something right now, but I’m pretty sure he wants to come.”

He watched as a distressed look appeared on Dr. Rols face. “… Marco… I can’t.”

“I-I can give you his number, a-and he’s in town.”

She sighed. “I’m not the one who’s suppose to tell you this Marco… but… I was forbidden to.”

“My boyfriend didn’t hurt me! I swear he didn’t!! It’s not what you think!!”

_Just let him in when he comes here, it’ll be less painful for me later, please!_

Dr. Rols shook her head. “It’s not out of whether or not it was you he hurt… it’s because… he and someone else ended up hurting the three kids who came in with you.”

Marco wasn’t sure if he heard that right. “… What?”

“… I’m sorry. I was informed by the medics who brought you four here… it seemed like the girl had the most injuries defending her brother… I don’t know the exact details, but your boyfriend fled afterwards and left behind whoever else was there, and he was taken by the police.”

“… That… can’t be right…”

“… I’ll leave you alone for now.” She left the room, closing the door completely and leaving Marco by himself.

“… No… he… he wouldn’t hurt someone else… he would never hurt anyone else!”

_What makes you so sure?_

“He-he always took it out on me!”

_Did he really?_

Marco covered his face as his thoughts began running wild. He always believed that in some way, letting Jean focus his aggression on him would help prevent him from hurting others. That he was helping him in some small way with controlling his anger.

_Wait… How… how did Jean end up seeing Eren?_

It took a few seconds before the answer slammed into him. Eren must have come by the apartment. “… No… he… he would have saw me… he would have saw me like… like that!”

_You know that the people who do report it get that reputation of ‘slut’, and asking for it._

Jean’s words from before rang clearly in his head.

Eren saw him. He saw him like that at the apartment. He was probably disgusted with him.

He began crying uncontrollably, curled up on his side.

He wanted to die.

-

Mikasa watched Eren as repeatedly slammed his head into one of the trees nearby.

“Cut that out before you end up getting permanent brain damage,” Mikasa told him while crossing her arms.

“How many times would that take for a shifter person compared to a normal?” She and Eren glanced at Armin with concern. “What?”

“That sounded very Hanji like.”

“Did it?”

Mikasa rolled her eyes, noting to reduce the time between the two before Hanji made any efforts to adopt him as their own. She then winced as some of the wind blew rain into her face again. Eren ended up walking farther than she thought he would, and the three of them were now at least a mile from the hospital. And it was already getting dark.

She felt her phone buzz and she pulled it out, seeing an incoming text from Levi.

 

Levi: What’s going on?

Mikasa: uuuu

Mikasa: Marco woke up

Mikasa: Then freaked

Mikasa: Eren was in the room when it happened, and now he’s blaming himself again for Marco’s reaction.

Levi: Where are they right now?

Mikasa: Eren went on a walk with us and is now hitting his head against a tree and Marco is still in the hospital

Mikasa: How are things over there

Levi: Did some yelling at police

 

Wow, they must have pissed him off enough to get that reaction.

 

Levi: I’ll give you details later. I’ll be out of here in about an hour or so

Levi: need me to grab dinner?

Mikasa: That would be great.

Mikasa: make sure it’s something Eren can’t say no to.

Levi: got it

 

She closed the text app with that and looked back at her brother, still hitting his head against the tree. “Eren, cut that out.” He sighed as he finally walked away from the tree. The shadows under his eyes had become more noticeable from this morning. “Do you want to walk around some more?”

“… Sure.” He began heading down another pavement path, getting his feet in the puddles. Again. He started heading in the direction of the forest, Mikasa following to make sure he didn’t end up lost.

As they continued walking, they found themselves at a large road next to a cliff. “Looks abandoned,” Armin commented as he poked the broken asphalt.

Mikasa pulled her phone out and looked at her map app. Indeed, the road didn’t appear anywhere on the map. “Sure is.” She then saw Eren approaching the edge of the road next to the cliff, a rusted rail the only thing to block him. “Eren, stay away from the edge!”

“I’m fine. I just want to take a look.” She watched, feeling nervous that Eren was going to do something reckless due to a lack of sleep and eating, as he lean over the railing. “Is that a quarry over there?”

“What is?”

“That.” Eren leaned out while pointing at something in the distance, bracing himself against the railing. There was a sudden creak and Mikasa watched with horror as the rail broke, with Eren toppling over the cliff. “Wah!” He disappeared from Mikasa’s sight, then there was a huge explosion from where he fell down.

Milliseconds after the explosion, a familiar pointy-eared being’s head appeared next to the cliff, his hair covering most of his face. “… Eren?” Mikasa slowly walked towards him. There was a mournful groan from him, and he leaned his head back. “Eren, can you hear me?”

There was an uneasy moment of silence before Eren suddenly lifted one of his fists and slammed it into his face. The result was that a good portion of his head was smashed, leaving a huge smoldering lump instead of a head

“Eren!!” Armin’s voice went shrill as he screeched Eren’s name.

The giant figure stumbled around, but didn’t fall. Both regular humans watched as he slowly regenerated, his mouth the first thing to be completely fixed. “Dah… Daahts…”

“… Dots?” Mikasa looked over at Armin. “That’s what Eren keeps calling Marco, right?”

“Y-yeah, it is… oh shit.”

“He’s in his delirious state. Great.” Whenever Eren was like this, he would just go wherever without trying to hide himself from regular people. Which would lead to a grumpy Levi as he had to cover his ass in several ways. Most of the time it involved pulling strings and a lot of coaxing.

“… You don’t think he’ll try to go to the hospital to see Marco while like this, do you?”

They looked at each other then back at Eren. “Crap,” Armin muttered.

“We need to get a head start on him.” She grabbed Armin’s hand and began running. “Let’s go catch a cab and hope we make it.”

-

Marco stared at the window with disinterest. He woke up a while ago after crying himself to sleep, and he felt… blank. Like someone had reached into him and pulled something out of him.

The doctor came back after he woke up with one of the nurses and they left some food for him, but he didn’t touch any of it. He didn’t feel like eating, despite his stomach feeling empty.

Besides, with everything Dr. Rols told him earlier, he might end up heaving it all up later.

He still didn’t want to believe that Jean would have hurt someone besides him.

Honestly, if he had to choose between Jean hurting anyone else or Eren seeing him as a slut and hating him, Marco would take the latter. Then at least he could be comforted by the thought that he was keeping Jean from hurting others.

As he stared at the window, the rain not pouring as hard as it was a few minutes ago, and he saw something moving in the distance, in the forest.

_… Is someone cutting down a tree? In this weather?_

As he continued watching, he noticed it wasn’t swaying back and forth or side-to-side like trees usually did when being cut down… it was… coming out of the forest… towards the building.

Knowing that what he was seeing should be impossible, Marco turned away from the window and held the blankets over his head. “It’s just you, Marco. You’re going mad… that’s it.”

He continued holding the blankets over him for several minutes and was about to fall asleep when he heard something tap against the window, which was certainly wasn’t rain, which seemed to have suddenly stopped hitting the glass.

_You’re going insane, there’s nothing there._

There was another tap. Then another. Then something else. A low, soft groan. One he instantly recognized. Marco took the blankets down and looked at the window.

Right outside, there were two magnificent, green eyes that were the size of his head staring at him. Marco, dumbfound in silence, sat up and reached for the button on the wall to open the window. The window slowly went up, and Marco saw what it was clearly.

The giant.

Marco adjusted himself reached out for him, expecting not to feel anything. It should have just been a hallucination. But instead, he found himself touching the giant’s cheek, feeling the warm skin underneath his hand. “… It’s you.” Marco felt tears well up in his eyes as he leaned toward him. “You’re here…” A small smile actually found it’s way onto his face.

_Maybe going mad has a few bonuses._

The giant made a gentle grumble and raised his large finger to Marco’s face, wiping away the tears as they started running down from the one eye that wasn’t covered. Marco flinched at the touch, and the giant suddenly pulled away. Marco looked back at him, and that there was a tear running down his face. “… Why are you crying?”

The giant’s jaw then slowly moved, opening up. “Dahh… Daaahhh…”

Marco remained in place, eyes widening. Was… the giant talking?

Too confused to move, Marco remained still as the giant slowly reached his hand through the window again. Marco felt his fingers caress him carefully, like he was afraid of hurting him. Marco leaned into his palm, feeling the heat as it radiated from it. He found himself calming down as the warmth enveloped him, like a blanket.

As there was a peaceful moment of silence, Marco heard footsteps approach his room and heard the door open. He turned around and saw Mikasa and Armin standing at the door, both flushed and panting. Marco scooted closer to the window, wanting to hide. The last thing he was sure that they wanted to see was a crazy person who was also a slut. “M-Marco,” Mikasa began as she slowly raised her arms. “I-it’s okay. We-we’re not going to hurt you…”

Marco stared at her in confusion until he heard the giant behind him grunt and curled his hand around him some more. As he did, Marco saw a worried look appear on both Armin and Mikasa’s faces.

_Wait… are they seeing him as well? That-that can’t be…_

Mikasa slowly walked into the room. “Marco… don’t be scared… he’s not going to hurt you.”

“… He’s real…?” Marco looked up at the giant, who was looking at Mikasa with wary eyes, and Marco looked back at her.

A soft look was in her eyes as she nodded in confirmation. “Yeah… he is…” Mikasa walked a bit closer until the giant made a low growl. She stopped right there, looking at him sympathetically.

As Marco stayed in place he then noticed that Eren wasn’t behind Armin. “W-wait, where’s Eren?”

_You should have expected this. Why would Eren want to spend any more time with a whore like you? Especially after you pushed him._

“Daaahhh…” Marco looked at the window again, watching the giant as his jaw moved with his attempts with talking. “Ahhhh… Ahhhm… Suuu…Sahreeee… Dahts…”

Marco blinked. Dots. The giant just tried calling him Dots. But… that’s what… Eren calls him… No, maybe he heard it wrong…

“Daahhts…” There it was again.

“… Eren?”

There was another groan from the giant as he looked at him. But this time… it sounded… surprised.

However, Marco then heard several voices outside, coming closer to the room. Mikasa looked worried again and went over to the window. “I’m sorry about this.” She climbed to the ledge and suddenly kicked the giant in the face. Marco watched with horror as the giant seemed to stumble away before falling. Within seconds, there was a sudden quake that shook the whole building. Marco heard several people start to yell in the building.

Mikasa almost fell from where she was because of the vibrations, but Marco managed to grab her by the waist and pull her back in. He winced as his whole body ached with the act, but he did it anyway. Mikasa landed in the small space between the bed and the window, and laid down on the floor. “Th-thanks,” She breathed, sounding shaken.

Marco didn’t answer. Instead, he looked out the window and at the ground. There was now something smoldering on the ground… the giant’s body… but then he saw movement. He held his breath as he watched something emerge from the giant’s neck. But he was too far up to see what it looked like exactly… but it seemed human…

“… Is that…”

Adjusting himself while trying to get a better look, he suddenly felt a sharp pain from his stomach, causing him to nearly collapse off the bed. Luckily for him, Mikasa caught him and pushed herself and Marco back up, carefully placing him on the bed. He hesitantly looked at her, expecting to see disgust. Instead, she gave him a small smile as if to comfort him. He then noticed that she had a bandage on her face, next to her eye.

There was the sound of someone running to the room, and Mikasa quickly closed the window and drew the blinds. While watching her, Marco saw gauze on her arm.

_They really were hurt._

Just in time, as Dr. Rols entered with two nurses, and all three adults adults saw Armin and Mikasa in the room. “What happened?”

“I-I fell off the bed from the tremor just now, a-and Mi-Mikasa came in and helped me get back on,” Marco stammered. He felt another pain go through his stomach, making him wince. Dr. Rols came over and looked at Mikasa. “I’m sorry, but you and your friend will have to step out for a moment.”

“… Alright.” Mikasa walked away from the bed and exited with Armin.

Marco stayed still as Dr. Rols started recording the usual things like heart rate and fever while the second nurse took the food and said something about getting something else.

He bit his lip as went through everything… The giant was Eren. He wasn’t sure what to think of Eren actually being the giant… maybe he was crazier than he thought, and thought he saw Mikasa and Armin noticing the giant outside… as well as Mikasa kicking him… but… maybe… he might be right…

… And real or not… he believed the giant really cared for him… so maybe if he was actually right… Eren really did as well…

-

Eren blinked several times, wondering why it was dark until he realized he was face-planted in titan-flesh. “Wh-what?” He placed both hands against whatever they were on and pulled his head away, hearing the familiar tearing of flesh. He blinked a few times and saw himself among his smoldering titan form remains.

“Nnngg, what happened?” He looked around and saw himself at one of the hospital buildings, rain still falling but not as harshly as before. He stared into blank space before he remembered. He was in his titan form after accidentally falling over a cliff while he was out walking… and he went to see Marco…

_DID HE SEE ME?!_

He gripped his hair in an effort to remember. Did Marco see him? Did he freak out?! That was the last thing he needed to make him do! Let alone the second time in the same day!! “Think Eren, THINK!!”

He then remembered. He was right next to the window, and tapped a few times. Marco had his blankets over his head before finally taking them down and opened the window. He then remembered a small smile on his face. One that looked truly happy.

_It’s you. You’re here._

Eren blinked when he remembered Marco’s words. “He recognized me.” He held his face in his hands. “He-He recognized me… he recognized my titan form… He-He remembers me!!” A small laugh escaped him. “He remembers me from that night!” He stood up and staggered around, hardly believing this. “He remembers!”

“Eren!” He heard Mikasa calling from behind, and he slowly turned around. He began walking towards him and accidentally tripped. “Eren!” She picked him up and looked at him. “I’m sorry! I didn’t want to-”

“Mikasa, he remembers me!” He smiled at her, feeling tears of joy starting to form in his eyes. “From that night! He-he recognized me!!”

“Wh-what?”

“He-he didn’t freak out when he saw me as a titan! He said ‘it’s you’, and he smiled at me!!”

“… Are you sure?”

“I am!”

“… Well, whether or not that is the case, you have to explain it all to him.”

“… Crap, I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to tell everything.” He buried his face in his hands in realization.

“… Try doing it basic and simple, and if he asks anything, you give him an answer. If you want to do it by yourself, that’s fine. But feel free to call for me if you need help.”

“… I’ll try.”

“Great.” She began leading him inside. “You do realize Levi is going to chew us out on the fact you shifted… and appeared at a hospital.”

“I think Marco was the only one who saw me.”

“Tell that to the lady who went into labor on the third floor.”

“…WHAT?!”

-

“Alright, that’s about it.” Marco nodded and let the nurse that was still there help him put the hospital gown on again before laying back into the bed. He kept avoiding looking them directly as they examined the injuries he had, feeling shame wash over him as he spotted the dark bruises on his stomach.

As he felt himself sink into the pillows and mattress, the nurse and doctor began leaving. However, they stopped before leaving, and Dr. Rols looked back at Marco. “Your friends are outside. Do you want them to come in?”

Marco hesitated before answering. “Uh… just Eren for the first few minutes… then the other two can come in…” The two ladies exited and Marco watched as Eren came in, looking at him. “… Hi. Sorry for the scare when you first woke up.”

“…” Marco looked back at him tentatively. “… Uh, Eren… I… I don’t want to sound crazy…” He gripped the sheets as he spoke. “… But… I… wanted to ask…” He couldn’t get himself to ask. He was too scared that he was wrong. Too scared that he would drive Eren away for certain. He was already terrified by the idea that Eren saw him at the apartment… He looked down, regretting his choice to have Eren come in.

“… Marco, the day in the park when you fell on me wasn’t the actual first time we met…” Eren came over and sat in a chair next to the bed. “… I first saw you… in an open field during the night… being hurt…”

Marco’s eye widened as Eren continued.

“I got them to stop… you were unconscious… so I took you away from there. And I… ended up placing you in a tree… bad choice looking back at it.” There was a small pause from Eren. “… You woke up at one point… and saw me… you were scared… but I can understand why. I… I’m not regular… you ended up fell from the branch I placed you on. I caught you before you hit the ground thankfully… for a while, you refused to look at me…”

Marco raised his head to look at Eren’s face. “… Then you comforted me. And watched over me as I fell asleep…” Tears formed in his eyes as he finished the story, and he saw Eren’s face light up, as if joyful. “… It was you…” He couldn’t help but smile. “It was you this whole time. I’m not crazy.”

“You really remember me?”

He rubbed away the tears as they rolled down his face. “Yes, I do.” Marco then remembered the fact that Eren saw him at his apartment after Jean came back “… Did you also… really see me at the apartment? After you left?”

“… I did…”

Marco looked away, feeling all the joy from the previous reveal fade. So he did know.

“I’m sorry…” He looked back at Eren, not sure if he heard right. Eren’s eyes had watered up, and they were tears that began streaming down his face, the complete opposite from a moment ago. “I’m sorry I left you… I should have come back to check on you… and when I went over there, I was useless…” He bended over and hid his face in his hands, still crying. “I’m sorry, I swear I am…”

Not sure what to say, Marco hesitantly reached for him and placed his hand on Eren’s arm and slowly brought one of his hands away from his face to take a better look. “… You… don’t hate me?”

Eren shook his head. “No, you should never be hated for being in that situation…” There was a small hiccup from him as he gave his answer. “No one should be hated for that, ever.”

Marco slowly took Eren’s hand into his own and held it close to his face. He then let out a relieved sob. “Thank you…”

Eren slowly looked up at him again, his eyes still wet. He gave a small nod for a reply. “… I… want to tell you everything Marco… but… you won’t like part of what I have to say… and you can hate me for it. Just please… listen.”

“… Alright. I will.” He tightened his hold on Eren’s hand as he replied. He wanted to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope that didn't rip out too many hearts...


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update! I apologize for being so late. Unfortunately, i have been having a lot of things going on for me - personal life, job hunting, preparing for finals, and I kinda slammed into a writer's block =w=' so if this chapter is too short or doesn't seem good, i apologize and i will try to edit it. -hides in trashcan-
> 
> But, i got an ask-blog for this fic running! if you have any questions for any of the characters, feel free to go there and ask!! it might help me with the writer's block. http://bidjodb-ask.tumblr.com/
> 
> and if it interests anyone, i'm tagging/following any posts related to the story as fic:bidjodb
> 
> yeah, sorry for talking.

“… Shifter?” Marco said the word quietly, repeating what Eren said.

“Y-yeah,” Eren confirmed. “I-it’s the term used for people who can change into titans… and while we’re in our human forms, we can still heal fast and all, but it’s at a slower rate than when we’re titans…”

“… And… it’s because of the nuclear radiation from the war 50 years ago?”

“Seems like it, even though we don’t have any radiation from our bodies for some reason…”

Marco stared at Eren in silence. This was all… very sudden, and he was certain that anyone who would just by a story like this with no evidence would have questionable sanity… but, he did see Eren’s titan form – as it was called apparently – so it had to be true.

“… Are the others… shifters as well?”

“Uh, Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir and Annie are… the rest are normal.”

“… Annie… that’s Bertholdt’s sister, right?”

“Yeah…”

“… Are they like you?”

“… Uh, not really. Our titan’s forms vary a lot… Reiner’s form has these hardened plates thingies on him, kind of like armor. And Ymir is smaller than us. She isn’t the smallest titan though, and she can come out a bit of her titan form without causing it to go away. And Bertholdt… his form is skinless… and when it’s in full form, he is… actually the largest… ever. Or so far anyway. I don’t know anything about Annie’s titan form though…”

Marco blinked with surprise. “Bertholdt’s the biggest?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow… that’s actually pretty neat.”

He watched as Eren shrugged. “He isn’t really into it…”

“… Wait. If Annie is a shifter… why is she in a coma?”

Eren bit his lower lip and rubbed his neck. “… This is the part that you’re not going to like… And what I know is from Reiner and the others, and what they know is based on calls they had with Annie…”

“… Please tell me.”

There was a hesitant silence from Eren for a while. “She went to go see some relatives… that lived close to Rose… And…” There was another pause before he continued. “… She met Jean. Your Jean.”

Marco stared at Eren with shock.

“They began hanging out together… it was fine at first, but… she told them after a while that he had began to become… more controlling. And… she eventually bought a gun… but after that, she was found in a quarry, drugged and beaten… and there was signs that she was also…” Eren bit his lower lip, not saying the next part.

“… She was raped, wasn’t she?” Marco’s voice went faint as he spoke.

“… Yeah. There was an investigation, but there was someone who kept Jean from being questioned. And after I found you… I wanted to check on you somehow because I was worried, so I did a little digging… and then we learned that Jean was with you. We agreed that they would help me get here to see you again while they… went after Jean to get revenge for Annie. And the other day… we found out she actually had two drugs in her system… one of them… was an aphrodisiac. And… they found traces of aphrodisiac in your body when we brought you here.”

Marco looked up at the ceiling and covered his face with his arms. He didn’t want to believe any of this… yet he did. “… When I saw Jean… the first time after he left Jinae… he had his arm in a cast… he said it was just an accident… that a friend was just showing him a gun and that it accidentally went off… Did Krista know anything about what happened to me? When you found me?”

“No, she didn’t. At least until the dots were connected… but she really does volunteer, so it wasn’t a completely… sorry.”

“… No, I understand… But thanks for telling me the truth.”

“Mm… by the way…” Eren pulled out his wallet and then revealed the same photo Marco found the night after Eren visited him. “Thanks for keeping this safe for me… it means a lot to me…” Eren was a slight red as he told Marco that, and Marco gave a small nod. Then his stomach made a huge growl. Eren raised one of his eyebrows “… Did you eat anything the nurses gave you yet?”

“… No.”

Eren reached over to the table and picked up a bowl of soup that was sitting there. “It’s still warm, but if you want I can go get you something warmer.”

“… N-no, it’s fine,” Marco stammered.

“Uh, do you want to eat it without any help, or do you want me to hold the spoon for you?”

Marco looked at his arms and lifted them up as he reached for the bowl. “I can do it on my own.”

“Alright.” Eren handed the bowl over carefully, which Marco took. He slowly ate the soup, and when he was halfway done, he heard a stomach growl… that for once wasn’t from him. He looked at Eren, who was scratching his head nervously. “Uh… I kinda didn’t have lunch yet,” He admitted. “I was… busy…” Marco looked at the soup and was about to offer him some to Eren. “I-I can go grab something from the cafeteria though, don’t worry,” Eren said quickly when he noticed Marco holding the spoon out for him. “I-is it okay with you? Me going really quickly? I-I promise to be back soon!”

“… It’s fine,” Marco said while giving a small smile.

“Thanks.” Eren went over to the door. However, when he opened it, Mikasa was standing there and suddenly shoved a sandwich into his mouth. “Mff!!”

“I already got us food,” Mikasa said while holding up a bag of chips in the hand that wasn’t shoving a sandwich into Eren’s mouth.

Eren took a bite from the sandwich and took it from her. “Please stop suffocating me with food.”

“Then please eat,” she said desperately. She then looked over at Marco. “Is it okay if we come in now?”

“S-sure…”

She nodded and turned around. “Armin, we can go in now.”

“Okay.” The short blond boy walked in and waved at Marco. “Hi. So Eren… told you? About… him and the others?”

“… Yeah, he did.” Marco rubbed his neck while replying. He looked back at Mikasa, seeing her sit down on one of the chairs, opening something before rubbing the band-aid on her face. “… How bad is it?”

“Hm? Oh this? It was deeper than I thought it was, but it should just leave a scar thankfully. No nerve or muscle damage.”

“… What about your arm?”

“Same. It hurts a bit more, but other than that it’s going to be okay.” She reached into the bag she open and pulled out some potato chips before offering one to Marco. “Want one? I bought five bags.”

“Uh, I don’t know if I’m suppose to be eating junk food yet,” Marco said for an excuse.

“… Alright.” She was eating some more before looking at Eren. “Hey Eren?”

“Mm?”

“You remembered to tell him who our legal guardian was and that he’s coming here, right?”

Marco looked at Eren, who was turning pale, in realization he didn’t. “N-no…”

“Why does it matter?” Marco asked.

“Uh… you met him before.”

“I-I did?!”

“Yeah… sorry I didn’t tell you that either…”

“… Who is he?”

Eren looked at Marco nervously. “… Do you remember by any chance a short guy with a buzz cut? Angry looking?”

Marco though for a moment, then he remembered the shorter of the two men he talked to that drove him out to Jean. “I think I do… I think his name was Levi?”

“That’s him,” Eren said in a dry tone.

Marco sat in silence. “… So the guardian who got mad at you for getting a tattoo was him?”

“That’s him,” Mikasa confirmed. “And he caught Eren sneaking cupcakes for himself into his room without asking if anyone else wanted any last year, just as a heads up if you find any dessert missing later on.”

“HEY!” Eren turned red in embarrassment.

“You ate the get-well gift Eren, we might as well warn him for anything else,” Armin deadpanned, making Eren shift his eyes in an embarrassed way.

_Get well… oh, the chocolates._

“… When is Levi coming?”

“He said he was going to grab us some dinner before coming here, and that it would probably be 8 or something like that.” Mikasa told him. “Also, be prepared if he’s grouchy when he’s here.”

Marco nodded in silence. He slowly finished his soup and set it aside, praying that he was ready to see Levi again.

-

Levi made his way to the elevator, carrying all the bloody paperwork under his jacket. Erwin was going to have a nice grand old time sorting through all these while he got ready to interrogate Nathan. Finally getting in, he ruffled his hair while watching some of the rainwater splatter. “Goddamn weather…” As soon as the elevator got to the 5th level, he got off and headed to the new room that Mikasa told him in her text message… which also told him that Eren had shifted earlier and was here.

Walking up to the door, he knocked twice. He heard someone walk towards it before it opened. Armin stood there. “Hey Levi.”

“Hmm.” Armin stepped aside and Levi came into the room. He saw Marco sitting in the bed while Eren was next to him sitting in a chair. “… I see you’re awake now,” He said as he approached the bed.

Marco fidgeted for a moment. “H-hello again, sir.” He seemed tense, more than what he was when Levi first saw him.

Levi sighed as he sat down in the chair further away from Marco. “… So, you saw Eren’s other form?” Marco nodded, looking guilty about something. “… Is there something you wish to say?”

“… Sir, when I was at the hospital at the fort… I lied. I do remember what happened. When Eren found me…”

Levi looked at him firmly. “You do.”

Marco nodded. “… I’m in trouble with you now, right?”

“… Not necessarily. You didn’t go blabbing off to other people what you saw, so I can ignore the whole thing.”

Marco blinked in surprise. “R-really?”

Levi nodded. “I’ve dealt with worse cases… most of them thanks to Eren.” He gave Eren a look as he said that, who scooted away. “That aside though, I’m glad to see you’re awake now.”

“… Is that all?”

“… No. I need to ask you a few questions. The person who attacked Eren and the other two is currently in custody, but I need to ask you if you had ever seen him before, as well as a few other things.”

“W-why?”

“So we could possibly link him to another case, concerning Annie Leonhart.”

Marco stayed silent before nodding. “I’ll try.”

“Thank you.” Levi began sorting through some of the papers he had before finding the one that had a picture of Nathan. “Alright. I have the person’s picture right here. Ready?” Marco gave another nod. Levi then flipped the picture around so that it was facing Marco.

As soon as the freckled boy saw the photo, he turned pale and backed away, clutching the blankets close to him, and the heart monitor immediately spiked as his breathing immediately became shaky, prompting Levi to put the photo away. Eren immediately came back over. “Marco?!” Marco was going to say something before covering his mouth with his hand. Eren reacted by grabbing the trashcan that was next to the bed and offering it to Marco.

Marco shook his head before trying to take deep breaths. “I-I’m not going to vomit…” His words sounded forced, but after several minutes, his breathing wasn’t as shaky as before.

“… Marco, you have seen this person before?” Marco, without looking at Levi, nodded. “… What can you tell me about him?”

Marco remained silent before talking. “… Jean told me he was a co-worker of his… I-I only saw him before once though… with several other people…”

“… Is there anything else you can tell me?”

“… Some of the people later on were… the ones who… took me to the country side… where you later found me…” Marco’s voice began to crack, and that was more than enough to give Levi an idea of what probably happened between him and Nathan.

“That’s enough,” Levi told him. “Thank you.” He put the picture away before standing up. “That’s all I had to discuss with you for now.” Marco gave a small nod while trying to relax once again. How the boy actually managed to do so impressed Levi, in the good way.

He walked out the room and dialed Erwin’s number. He needed to talk to him arraigning a therapist for Marco while keeping him at a safe-house.

-

Eren wringed his hands while looking at Marco, who seemed to be trying to relax… at least he looked more relaxed than when Levi showed him the photograph.

_I was right. Nathan hurt him as well…_

He was trying to think of something to say to help Marco feel a little better with everything that has gone wrong so far. But comfort wasn’t one of his skills, as it was clear when he kept yelling at him.

Eren felt his stomach growl again. As it did, an idea popped into his head. “Hey, I’m going to grab some more food. You want anything in particular?”

“… Not really.” Marco rubbed his arms as he replied.

Eren gave a small nod. “Alright.” He quietly left and went down to the cafeteria. He should probably get something sweet. That might be helpful for Marco to calm down some more. He started sorting through the first sweet section, which had mostly jello snacks. Lime flavored. Gross.

He eventually found the cake section. Thankfully, they had a better selection, and were available in slices… but he was also worried if Marco actually had preferences towards different cake flavors. They had lemon cake, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, marble cake, and then there were the choices with the frosting.

As he was looking at the different flavors, he spotted one cake that was hidden behind several chocolate slices. Eren pulled it out from behind and inspected the label. “Dulce de leche…” He thought for a moment before it hit him. Dulce de leche was that Spanish version of caramel, right? That might be interesting. Eren stared at it before grabbing a chocolate and lemon slice. He would let Marco take his pick out of the three.

He quickly paid for them and went back to the room Marco was in. As he was heading towards the room, he saw Mikasa and Armin standing outside. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. We just needed to get up…” Armin stretched as he answered. “We also figured Marco may need some more time to himself for a while.” He then spotted the cake Eren was carrying. “… I swear to god Eren, if there was more of the cake and you ate it before bringing it, I’ll tell Levi you were the one who bleached his tux.”

“Wh-NO!”

“You swear?” Now Mikasa was staring at him, making him nod. “Good.” She and Armin began to leave. “Welp, we’ll leave you two be.”

Before Eren had the chance to rebuff that, the two of them disappeared around the corner. “… What the fuck?” He looked at the door, hesitating to go in. He took several deep breaths before poking his head in, seeing Marco was looking out the window. “… Um… can I come in?”

Marco looked over at the door. “Oh, y-yeah.”

Eren nodded and quickly slipped in. “Uh, I know you said you didn’t want any thing in particular, but… I uh… brought you some cake… and don’t worry, I didn’t eat any of it this time.” He walked over to the bed and showed him the three slices. “See?”

“Oh. Uh…” Marco looked away. “You… didn’t have to.”

“… Well, I’ll leave it anyway.” Eren set the cake down before looking back at Marco. “… You want to talk about anything?”

“… I’m not sure…”

Eren sat back down in the same chair as before. “… Marco… I really want to help you. But I’m not going to force you to do anything. You have to make the decision about what happens.”

There was silence in the room between them for several minutes… then there was a choke from Marco. “I saw Nathan four days before I met you… he and two other people came to the house… looking for Jean… he-he was pretty drunk…” Eren remained silent as Marco paused, letting his held-back sobs fill the room. “I-I wanted to be left alone… but… he grabbed me… and… and then…” Marco choked on another sob. “He and the others forced me onto the couch as more people…” He buried his face into his arms as he pulled his knees close to him. “I-I begged them to stop!”

“… Marco…”

The sobbing began getting heavier. “… But… Jean was the one who stopped them…” Marco curled up some more. “He-he got me out of there… I… I thought… I was finally… getting him to… go back to the way he was before… so why… why would he and Nathan be with each other?” He held himself tighter as he asked that. “… Why? I thought… I thought I was the only person who he would hurt… I thought that if I just let him do whatever he wanted, he wouldn’t hurt anyone else… and that he might get better… He wasn’t always like this, I swear!”

“I believe you.” Marco lowered his arms from his face and looked at Eren. “I know you tried really hard,” he said sympathetically. “You shouldn’t blame yourself though. What happened was something out of your control.”

“But…!”

Eren, not sure what came over him, reached out for Marco and held him close. Part of him expected to be pushed away as he felt Marco tense up. “It’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself.” Eren spoke quietly, listening to Marco’s shaky breathing. “Just… just let it out if you want…” After a few seconds, Marco was wailing as Eren kept his arms around him, not going anywhere.

The cake was going to wait.

-

“Are my requests clear?”

Dr. Rols frowned at Levi. “You certain it has to be a therapist to come to the safe house rather than him going to a therapist?”

“I think it would be best for him to be someplace safe and isolated where he won’t be targeted later on.”

“… Hmmm.” She bit her lower lip. “And what about that other boy? Eren.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, not getting a pleasant feeling. “What about it?”

“Don’t get me wrong on this. I am glad to see that someone does care for him, especially from what I’m certain of what happened. However…” She paused midsentence. “… I am… concerned… if Mr. Bodt’s getting too attached. If he becomes absolutely dependent on him, that’s just going to be another unhealthy relationship.”

_She’s got a point._

Levi remained silent for a few minutes. “Is there anything we can do to help prevent that from happening?”

“Get him to intermingle with other people besides Eren. And I don’t just mean his sister and blonde friend. And without being with Eren. But regardless of what we suggest, he as to make the choice about how he does this.”

“… Alright. He deserves to have a choice in what happens.”

“Good. Now if you excuse me, I need to check on another patient.” She walked off, leaving him to his own device.

After a few minutes, Levi felt his phone go off, prompting him to answer it. “Hello?”

“Levi, it’s Erwin. What’s going on?”

“Well, there have been better days. Doctor doesn’t think letting Bodt leave is the best idea for him. How’s Leonhart doing?”

“Hanji thinks she should be awake any time soon now, so let’s hope that she remembers everything so we can ask her.” Just then, there was a set of barking going on in the background. “One second. Hello little puppy~”

Levi groaned. “Erwin.”

“What?”

“That better not be a mutt inside the office.” He was answered with silence. “Erwin?”

“They’re so cute though. And the husky wanted to come in.”

Husky. The mutt that was brought over and dug up the flowers – Teddy Bear. “Get him out now.”

“Levi-”

“NOW.” There was a whine from the other side that was clearly the dog. “Shut it mutt.”

“He’s just restless Levi. Dogs are social animals also. Maybe he misses one of the kids.”

“… Where are you going with this?”

Before Erwin replied, there was someone saying somethin. “Got to go. Talk to you later, and make sure to head to the safe house when you leave.”

“I will. I’m not stupid.” He heard the phone beep as Erwin hung up, being left alone once again. “I really hope the mutt didn’t dig up the plants in the office.”

-

Bertholdt was still sitting next to the bed as he watched Annie. Her vitals definitely have improved from when he got here, but he was still nervous. Did she remember anything? Would her memory be spotty or fully intact? Would she need to undergo rehab for being in a coma for three years? Bertholdt fidgeted with his hands as he though of all the possibilities. Oddly, this was the first time he ever really though about all of this.

“Hey.” Bertholdt looked up and saw Reiner, still carrying Pumpkin. “Saw your folks at the cafeteria. Shouldn't you get something to eat as well?”

“… Too nervous. And we both know when I get nervous and eat, I tend to get sick.”

Reiner nodded and sat down next to him, Pumpkin making a tiny chirp at them. “Here.” Reiner offered her to Bertholdt, and she got onto his lap and started kneading him. “I already fed her some cat food. I really need to make Marco a thank you note for taking care of her – she’s similar to Sasha when it comes to food.”

Bertholdt looked down at the tiny cat, trying to see if he could see any similarities to her and the ravenous girl. “… Are you sure?”

“The moment I held salmon in front of that thing, she went for it.”

“Mmmmm…” Bertholdt began petting her, relaxing slightly. Not by much though. “… Did you see your mom?”

“Yeah. She took a quick look at Pumpkin and Teddy and said they seem to be in surprisingly good health for strays. But she’s also going to get them some supplements for nutrition.”

Bertholdt nodded. “That’s good.” He felt Pumpkin nip at his hands, not that it was anything to worry about. “You heard anything from the others?”

Reiner looked at him. “No? Why, did they call you?”

“N-no… I saw Levi leaving though…”

“He did?”

“Yeah. He didn’t say where he was heading to.”

Reiner rubbed his chin. “Weird. Doesn’t sound like the usual Levi.”

The two of them remained quiet until they heard the door open. They both looked over and saw Erwin enter with Hanji. “Hey.” Hanji causally waved at them.

“Hi.” Bertholdt watched as Hanji came over to check Annie’s vitals before looking at Erwin. ”Uh, sir, is Levi all right?”

“… What do you mean?”

“I saw him leaving and he didn’t say where he was going… is he alright?”

Erwin sighed. “… He is. Don’t worry about him.”

Before Bertholdt could ask anything else, the machines Annie was attached to started making more noise as Annie began flailing. Hanji began shouting, “Ho, ohhhh, they’re spiking!!” She began running to grab something and quickly brought that over, shoving Bertholdt and Reiner to the side.

“HANJI, WAIT!”

Not listening to Erwin, Hanji injected something into Annie, getting the vitals to return to normal. Bertholdt watched as she stopped flailing, half-expecting her to go unconscious completely. Instead, she groaned and stirred.

“Annie?” Bertholdt came closer and grasped her hand, Hanji moving away to give them more room, saying something about going to find his family while Reiner stood behind him and took Pumpkin. He watched as her eyes started moving, then her lids. They slowly opened slightly, closed, then opened a bit more. Then she blinked. Once. Then twice. She rolled her head to the side for a moment. “… Annie?”

When Bertholdt called her name, her head moved again, and he found her blue eyes staring at him. “… Bert? Reiner?” Her voice was a little deeper from when he last heard her talk to him in person, but it was still the same. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he instantly went to hug her. Annie was awake. She was actually awake.

He wasn’t sure how long it was before Hanji came back with their parents and younger brother and sister. The younger ones immediately started bawling when they saw their sister and rushed over to her and hugged her. Mom and Dad slowly made their way over, tears in their eyes as they were looking at Annie, who looked at them as well. As they were finally close enough, their mom reached out to stroke her face, which Annie leaned into. Dad was crying as he held Annie’s hand. “Annie… my girl… precious Annie…” Bertholdnt never heard Dad talk like this since she was brought to the hospital.

Annie, who seemed to be shocked for several minutes, then looked down, and began crying.

Bertholdt wiped away some tears from his face as he turned away for a moment. When he did, he saw Erwin guided Reiner out. But he didn’t pay much mind to it. Not now.

-

Reiner quietly followed Erwin out of the room after being gestured to, adjusting Pumpkin in his arms. “What is it sir?”

Erwin turned around and sighed. “Now that Annie is awake… I need to tell you and your friends something. I didn’t want to tell you guys before she woke up… and I don’t think Bertholdt should be the one to hear this first. I know he tends to be the more vengeful kind. Despite appearances.”

A bad feeling washed over Reiner, eliminating the joy he felt when Annie finally woke up. “What is it?”

Erwin rubbed his forehead. “Levi got a call from the Interior’s Police Department… Eren was physically assaulted by Jean and someone else, and your friend Marco was found raped. Jean fled the scene, but the other guy was arrested. Levi is going to take over the case.”

Reiner backed away. “No… that can’t be right. Jean – he wasn’t going to be back for several days!”

“… I’m sorry.”

Reiner walked away and bit his lower lip. Jean did it again. He took several deep breaths, trying not to let his newfound anger take over and possibly hurt Pumpkin. “What happened exactly?”

“… Levi got back to me after talking to everyone else. Eren went over to Marco’s place after you four left… however, it seemed like Jean came back the night before… he and someone else seemed to have been planning on kidnapping Eren, but thankfully, Eren put up a good fight and Mikasa and Armin helped out with beating their asses. Jean escaped by using the fire escape, but now we’re going to be pursuing him to the fullest extent.”

Reiner nodded, glad to hear that the others fought. “What about Marco?”

“… Levi said that he was planning to take him along with the others to the safe-house and get him a therapist… form what I understand, he’s in bad condition. He was found overdosed and severely beaten. And the tox-screen showed that he had an aphrodisiac in his system. From what we can tell so far, it’s very similar to Annie’s case.”

“Oh god… a-are you sure it’s safe for him to leave the hospital?!”

“His overdose thankfully was not as severe as Annie’s… but clearly, he’s going to need more time to recover physically… but we need him to decide what happens.” Erwin was about to go down the hall when he added one last thing. “… I think it would be better if you broke the news to your friends instead of me doing it.”

-

Marco looked at the sheet Dr. Rols gave him, saying it was a release/consent form. Eren had left a little while ago, leaving him after he had calmed down, and said something about saving the cake for tomorrow. “So… I can either pick staying here… by myself… or I can go with Eren and the others to a safe house, and I would have to sign this to do that?”

“We can provide you service here for therapy… although Mr. Levi is worried that someone might try to come after you. But,” She was adjusting few things as she paused, “Neither one of us can force you either way.”

He didn’t reply. Staying here would mean that he wouldn’t have to face anyone else besides a therapist, more than likely… but he was scared. If Levi was right about someone coming after him… he didn’t want to think about it… If he went with him and the others though, there would be people who will undoubtedly see him like… this. That scared him…

… But he was also scared of not seeing the one person he wanted to trust.

“… Uh… can I have some time to think about this?”

“Of course.” She went out of the room to leave him alone.

Marco looked out the window, unsure of what to pick. He then saw his reflection in the glass, and reached out for it. He ran his fingers over where he saw the patch over his eye, then the purple bruise. He wasn’t unfamiliar with seeing this kind of reflection staring back at him… but now he was scared. What would Jean do if he came back? He whimpered pathetically and covered his mouth.

Jean would undoubtedly come looking for him, and he would be angry at Marco. He did love Jean. But now… he was scared of what he might do. Too scared to go back to him.

“… I’m sorry Jean…” As he said that, he held the pen Dr. Rols gave him with the paper and wrote his signature.

She came back in and he gave her the paper, which she looked at. “… Well, I suggest you get some sleep. I get the feeling you’re in for a long car-ride… and we’ll give you a wheelchair just in case.”

“Alright…” He looked back at her. “… Where are they going to sleep?”

“Mr. Levi got them a place nearby. We can’t let them stay the night again, but we can let them in early tomorrow morning, like around 6:30. I'll give them a call to let them know your decision.” He nodded when he heard her answer. That was good. Marco looked out the window as she was adjusting his IV drip, wondering if sleep was even possible at this point.

Surprisingly, after the doctor left, he did fall asleep. But he woke up early the next morning, by himself, listening to the rain tap against the glass. Marco looked at the small clock that was on the wall, reading 5:47. Marco adjusted his position and heard the door open. Turning his head, he saw Dr. Rols walk in while a nurse behind him was wheeling in a wheelchair.

As Marco tried to stand up so he could move out of the bed and try to walk, it became very obvious he would need that wheel-chair. When he stood on his feet, a sharp pain immediately shot through both of his thighs, and he fell back on the bed. The nurse hurried over and she and Dr. Rol’s helped him into the chair. They unattached the drip from his arm, carefully. When they were done, it was just about 6. Another nurse walked in, carrying a box of what she said was his belongings. It consisted of some clothes, two other novels besides the one he hid Eren’s photo in – which Armin took, and a small photo book.

Marco was looking through his things when another nurse knocked on the door. “Uh, his friends are outside.”

Dr. Rols looked at Marco. “… Are you ready to go?”

“… Yes.”

With that, she began wheeling him out of the room and to the elevator. When they got off, he saw Levi and Eren sitting in two chairs. Eren immediately looked up and came over. “Is he going to be okay with out the drip?”

“Yes. But he will need the wheel-chair for a while. And assistance with getting in and out of it.”

“Can I wheel him out?”

“… Very well.” Dr. Rols took a step back and Eren took her place.

He smiled awkwardly at Marco. “I, uh, hope you got some sleep.”

“I did… where’s Armin and Mikasa?”

“In the car. And Armin’s asleep, and will probably remain so during the ride.”

Eren then pushed him outside, while Levi was holding an umbrella over them until the got to the van where he saw Mikasa’s head in the front passenger’s window. Both Eren and Levi assisted Marco into the second row of seats in car, and Marco saw Armin sleeping in the very back.

“Hey.” Marco looked at Mikasa, who was looking at him with concern. “You ready to go?”

“… Yes.”

“… If it helps, I asked the others to bring Teddy over. I think he’ll be happy to see you again.”

Marco couldn’t help but smile at the mention of the small, ridiculous puppy. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

Eren then climbed into the car and sat in the seat next to Marco as Levi got in the driver’s seat. As the car began driving away, Marco saw Eren was nodding off. “Are you okay?”

“J-just a little tired… not a big fan of the morning.”

“I told you to get some sleep before midnight,” Mikasa scolded, earning a growl from the brunette as he turned a faint red.

The first hour was mostly quiet, except for the radio Levi had turned on for traffic reports. Eventually, he saw Eren reach into a bag and pulled something out before offering it to Marco, showing it was one of the cake slices he had brought him yesterday, the lemon one. “Uh… you hungry?”

“Eren, what did I say about eating the cake in the car?” Levi was glaring at him in the upper-mirror as he spoke.

“I’m offering some to Marco!” Levi’s glare grew. “… Can we at least have a small piece? Please?” He gave Levi puppy eyes as he asked, which got Mikasa’s attention as she looked at Levi.

“… If that thing ends up making a mess, you will either clean it or pay for the cleaners yourself.”

Eren nodded before looking back at Marco. “So… do you want some?”

Marco stared at the cake. There wasn’t really a point to stay on his diet any more, right? “… Um… I guess I can have a little…” With that, Eren took the lid off the container and then held out a fork for Marco to take. “… Thank you.” He took a small portion and was about to eat it when he saw Eren take a huge chunk and stuff it into his mouth, only to see Marco had seen what he did and stared back with wide eyes, similar to the look Teddy gave him several times.

Marco couldn’t help but actually giggle at his expression. “Wh-what?” Eren stammered as he was turning a deep red.

“You’re funny.”

Eren blushed some more before looking away. “Am not.”

Marco shook his head before finally eating his portion of the cake.

Right now, he felt safe. Just like when he met Eren the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAAAY! ANNIE IS AWAKE!! 
> 
> i promise, when i manage to post the next chapter, there will be more fluff. Metaphorically and pet-wise.
> 
> And again, feel free to ask away on the new blog!!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG!!! -hugs everyone and gives everyone cake- I meant to have this done yesterday for Marco's birthday (a horrible present i know), but i had an interview for a job that was longer than i thought it would be... so i'm making this a delayed birthday present ^^'
> 
> sooo, i did get two asks for the fic's ask blog - the first one was about what happened in the bathroom between Reiner and Bert.  
> I wrote a short for a reply for that because i was so hyped for the first ask, so if you're interested in my first bit of reibert smut, here ya go: http://bidjodb-ask.tumblr.com/post/119721628887/  
> the second ask was what the tree back where Marco and Jean used to live looked like, so i drew a picture for that. I'm actually really glad for that ask because it helped me combat the writer's block a bit (you guys will see what i mean when you read) ^^
> 
> uh, quick warning before you proceed - mentioning of rape and torture, as well as someone not calling another person their preferred pronoun.
> 
> if you have any questions you'd like to ask, feel free to ask: http://bidjodb-ask.tumblr.com/
> 
>  
> 
> -  
> QUICK EDIT: I FORGOT TO MENTION A FRIEND OF MINE WROTE A SMALL POEM BASED ON THE FIC, PLEASE GO READ IT!!: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4130526

Eren was staring out the window, feeling the car’s vibration as Levi drove over the in-serious-need-for-repair road. They had been driving for about 5 hours now – pit stop at a gas-station store to buy some extra food and bathroom break not included. Marco ended up falling asleep before then. Eren glanced at the freckled boy, who was curled up in his seat. He had been relatively quiet during most of the ride, but he did seem happy when eating some of the cake earlier.

While he was looking at Marco, he heard something on the floor moving. Looking down, he saw it was the box that had Marco’s things, ready to tip over. Eren instantly swooped it up, holding it close to his chest. After a while, he looked down at it and saw a fairly small photo book. Curiosity taking over, Eren looked back at Marco, making sure he was still asleep, and then at the book, picking it out.

“What are you doing Eren?” Instantly looking up in surprise, he saw that Levi was looking at him through the upper mirror, raising an eyebrow.

“I-I-I was just holding Marco’s stuff, a-and I noticed he had a photo album…”

“Don’t go looking through his stuff without asking,” Levi scolded. “We’re not that far from the safe house by the way. So I think you can wait to ask instead of waking him up.”

Eren nodded in shame. Levi was right. After putting the album back into the box, he set it down between his legs so that it wouldn’t slide off anywhere. Eren reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and then pulled out the picture he had of mom, looking at it. The picture was taken a few months before she died, by Armin’s mom with a polarized camera for some art project. After the Arlets learned about his parents’ death, she gave him the picture in consolidation. Ever since then, he had always kept it in something he was certain to always have with him.

He hadn’t lost it before going to Marco’s place a few days ago… he couldn’t be anymore thankful for Marco saving it.

Eren ran his finger over his mom’s face, her brown eyes looking back at him.

_... Would she be proud of me? Of what I’ve been doing?_

He couldn’t come up with an answer. Eren pulled his legs up and held them close before looking back at Marco, eyes immediately falling on the bruises on his face. He needed to be better. He had to stop yelling at him. Or he’d be no better than Jean…

-

“Marco… Marco.”

Hearing his name being called, Marco stirred a bit, and tried to open his eyes. When he did, he didn’t recognize where he was, and felt himself beginning to panic.

“Marco?” He looked to his side and saw Eren standing right outside the car door. “What’s wrong? Do you need painkillers? Levi has the medicine the hospital prescribed for you.”

_Hospital? … Oh, right…_

He remembered now. He left the hospital with Eren and the others to go to the safe-house. Taking several deep breaths, Marco attempted to calm down.“N-no, I just forgot where I was…”

Eren nodded and then moved the wheelchair so that it was right next to the car. “Ready?” Marco briefly nodded before having Eren assist him back out of the car and into the wheelchair. He cringed as he felt pain shoot through his legs – it wasn’t as bad as it felt earlier, but it still hurt too much to try walking on his own.

He then saw Mikasa leaning to the far back row. “Armin, Armin! Armin, wake up!”

“Noooo, let me sleep~” The smaller boy turned over as he groaned.

She sighed and began leaving. “Guess somebody doesn’t want Levi’s lasagna later. Heard him talking to Erwin on the phone earlier about bringing the ingredients over.”

Armin suddenly sprang out of the car, eyes wide open. “I’M AWAKE!!”

“Great.” She then picked up a few bags and carried them away, and Eren started wheeling Marco in the direction she was going.

They were heading down a small dirt path in an area that seemed to be nothing but forest. Must have been a longer trip than Marco thought it would be. Eventually, Marco saw a medium-to-large sized cabin standing in the only clearing. “Is… this the safe-house?”

“Yep.”

The house was rather… quaint. A huge change from the Interior. Honestly, at the moment, the style was probably the biggest comfort so far.

Eren then walked away for a moment as he went the front entrance, moving a few things around and then came back. “Sorry, I was just setting up the ramp we keep around.” He then got back behind Marco. “… Ready to go in?”

“… I guess so.”

With that, Eren wheeled Marco up the ramp that was next to the stairs and in the open door.

The inside seemed simple enough… although it seemed to be more modern than the outside. He saw Mikasa heading up the stairs when she saw Marco. “I left your stuff down in the living room. We have bedrooms upstairs, but if you want to sleep down here to avoid going up the stairs, we can set the couch up.”

Marco rubbed his neck. “Um… I don’t know…” He was never a fan of sleeping on the couch, but he didn’t want to be a hassle with taking up and down stairs.

“Well, don’t worry about me. I’m just going to get my room ready.” She continued up the stairs, disappearing from sight.

Eren then guided him to what Marco guessed was the living room, and saw his belongings sitting on the table next to the couch. Eren quickly grabbed the box and handed it to Marco. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Marco checked to see if everything was still in there, and was relieved that everything was. He then saw his photo album had a few pages crumpled. Pulling it out, Marco opened it completely to make sure the pictures were still in place. Thankfully they were. He then realized the photos were ones he had taken of the tree at the orphanage.

“What’s that?” He sensed Eren leaning closer to look at the pictures.

“… It’s a tree that was at the orphanage where I met Jean. We used to play right next to it, together.” Marco felt his voice drop as he spoke.

“… I’m sorry.”

He didn’t reply to Eren. Instead, he put the album back in the box and set the box back on the table. After few minutes of silence, Marco heard a familiar bark and turned his head to see what it was.

Sliding right up to him, as plain as day, was Teddy.

-

Teddy squirmed as Ymir held him again in the car. “Maybe we can drop him off in the middle of the road for an owl to have for supper,” She said in a nasty tone.

“We’re not dropping him off,” Reiner said sternly as he sat in the seat next to the man with the huge eyebrows. The man with the eyebrows – Erwin if he recalled right – was nicer than the short human he encountered earlier. But his eyebrows were weird. They were larger than Eren’s. He then heard a familiar grunt and saw that the larger dog – which he heard people call Flower - was holding the smaller dark one – who was called Rogue - close to her while sitting next to Krista, while Pumpkin was in her lap sleeping.

They had left the place that they first stopped at a while ago, leaving behind Bertholdt. He seemed… upset for some reason when they left. Actually, everyone seemed angrier than normal. It was odd…

Eventually, he felt the car come to a stop, and saw people getting out. Ymir carried him out and started walking away from the car, and eventually to a house. Teddy was then set down as she opened the door and then left. Having nothing better to do, he went in, and immediately had trouble walking. It was a wooden floor. Great. These things were always slippery for him. Teddy remained still as his nose was detecting the new smell of the place… as well as a familiar scent.

Dots’ scent.

_DOTS!!_

Suddenly delighted, Teddy dashed down to where the scent was the strongest, constantly slipping and sliding. He went to the largest room, where there was a huge couch, and saw the back of Dots’ head, siting in some kind of chair with wheels, right next to Eren. He made a small bark as he continued to run towards him. He saw Dots’ head perk up before turning his face towards him. The moment he did, Teddy felt the delight in him being replaced with shock as he suddenly stopped running, sliding up to Dots. Dots’ face had purple bruises, cuts, white stuff wrapped around where Teddy saw the bite marks from before, and had something covering his eye.

Teddy whimpered and came closer, slowly this time so that he wouldn’t slip on the floor. He then reached his paws for Dots’ lap, whimpering some more in worry. “… Teddy?” Dots’ voice was still gentle like before, but sounded cracked.

_What happened? Why are you hurt?_

Eren then bent down and lifted Teddy up before setting him in Dots’ lap. Teddy instantly nuzzled Dots, trying to make him feel better. Teddy licked his cheek a bit, trying to be careful with the bruises. He felt Dots hold him gently, and continued to lick him. “Hey buddy, it’s good to see you again.”

Letting out another whine, Teddy nuzzled his face some more. He then looked at Eren, who was looking at Dots with sympathy. Teddy wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“Flower, be gentle. Easy girl, easy.” Teddy saw Marco look in the direction he just came from and turned his head to see the large blonde walking in with Flower attached to a leash as she was trudging towards Dots. When she was a few feet away, Flower made a grunt as she narrowed her eyes at Eren, earning a nervous hum. “Hey Marco,” Reiner greeted.

“… Hi.” Teddy looked back at Dots and saw him looking down, avoiding the larger human’s gaze.

“… Erwin told me what happened. I’m sorry.” There was no response from Dots. “… Uh, I told you about Flower before, right?” Reiner kneeled down next to the large dog and rubbed her as she eventually stopped glaring at Eren.

“Y-yeah, you did…”

“Don’t worry about her attacking you,” Reiner reassured as he scratched Flower’s ear, “She’s disciplined. And she’ll trained to be a guard dog. Hope you don’t mind her and the other one being around.”

“I-it’s no problem… wait, what other one?”

To answer his question, there was a small whine as Krista walked into the room, carrying a sleeping Pumpkin, while Ymir was right next to her with Rogue. “Hi Marco,” the freckled girl greeted while coming closer. “I see Teddy found you.” Rogue then made another whine, prompting her to set her down next to Flower.

Reiner then patted the tiny black dog. “This is Rogue. I thought Teddy might need a playmate about his age, so I decided to bring her over.”

Teddy saw Dots lean down to get a better look at her. “Wow, she’s a little bigger than I though she’d be…”

“Yeah, she’s been gaining weight, which is a good thing,” Reiner commented.

Suddenly, Rogue came closer to Dots and made a small bark, interested in him. She then tried to jump up to his lap, but when she landed, Dots made a pained sound. Rogue flinched when she heard him and was about to jump off. “No, no, it’s okay,” Dots said, trying to sound perfectly fine. Teddy watched as Dots started petting Rogue to get her to relax again. “Shhh, shhh.” She slowly sat down, letting Dots continue petting her.

There was another set of footsteps that entered the room, making Teddy look in the direction they were coming from. The eyebrow-man was there, carrying some food when he spotted them. Teddy felt Dots move slightly as he saw Erwin. “H-hello sir.”

“Good to see you made it safely,” Erwin replied. Just then, the scary short human walked into the room and stood next to Erwin. Teddy tried to flatten himself so that he wouldn’t be seen. “Levi told me about what you know about Eren.”

Teddy saw Ymir, Reiner and Krista all face him, looking confused before all three in synchronization said, “Huh?”

“Errrrm,” Eren began, getting all three to look at him again, “Can we… discuss this outside?” He then began pushing the baffled humans away while Erwin remained standing before Dots.

“Marco, if it’s not too much trouble, I still need to ask you some things about Jean. As well as for the other suspect that we already have in custody.” Jean. That was the name Marco mentioned before.

“… What kind of things sir?”

“If you have any idea where Jean might go, people he’d go to, other than you, and if Nathan might be responsible for any other crimes. We already have some people getting ready to go investigate the place where you lived before moving to the interior.”

Teddy saw Dots look down, absolutely quiet. “… There were two people… who were with Nathan, when I first saw him, and I got their names… their first names I think.” Dots voice choked a bit when he said that, alarming Teddy.

“Take your time,” the shorter human said, in a gentle voice that surprised Teddy. “Don’t rush yourself.”

Dots nodded and waited a while before continuing. “… They were… Hitch and Dennis… I didn’t hear their last names though.”

“Is there anything else you could tell us about them?”

“… Hitch, she was… in her 20s I think, and Dennis was in his 40s… they said they were Jean’s co-workers… I can’t really think of a place where Jean would go…”

Levi nodded. “That’s enough for now. Thanks again.” He then narrowed his eyes at Teddy. “That thing better not dig anything up while it’s here.” Teddy whimpered and tried to hide his face when he heard that.

“I’ll keep an eye on him sir, I promise,” Marco said while petting Teddy to comfort him.

“Good.” Levi then looked at Erwin. “Help me make dinner.”

“Alright, alright.” With that, the two adults walked away, leaving the room.

Seeing Dots face getting gloomy again, Teddy carefully reached up to nuzzle him. He listened as Dots began giggling, and then saw Rogue carefully try to reach up as well. She looked over at Teddy before giving Dots a few licks, imitating his actions.

Not that he minded. Besides, it was making Dots feel better.

-

“HE KNEW?!”

Eren cringed at the volume of Ymir’s voice with that one question. “Y-yeah… and then I told him about you guys…”

All three people were now staring at him in complete shock before Ymir continued. “YOU’RE SAYING I WAS ON YOUR FACE, GETTING SMACKED INTO BRANCHES WHILE YOU WERE RUNNING AROUND, TRYING TO KEEP YOU HIDDEN FROM HIM, FOR NO REASON?!”

“Errr, well, he thought I was just a dream… but then he saw me as a titan again at the hospital… and then I told him… so, it was for a reason? Sort of?”

She growled in response. “I’m getting half of your dessert.”

Eren sighed before looking at Reiner. “Where’s Bertholdt by the way?”

 “He stayed at the hospital… Annie woke up, but Hanji wanted to keep her for at least one more day, and Bert volunteered to be with her.”

“Good to hear that something went right in the last few days,” Eren commented and then fidgeted for a moment before asking the next question. “Does… he also know? About what happened with Jean and Marco?”

“… Yeah.”

“… He didn’t take it well, did he?”

Reiner groaned while rubbing the back of his neck. “… He got angry when I told him Jean left… He was yelling at me for several minutes… and then he started crying when I told him about Marco.”

“… Are you sure it was a good idea to leave him? I think it would have been better to stay with him.”

“He wanted me to go, just to check on Marco. And I know when to give him space.”

Eren started chewing the inside of his mouth. “… So… are they coming? Annie and Bertholdt.”

“Sometime tomorrow I think. Erwin doesn’t want to risk either one of them being targeted, so he made it clear before we left.”

Before Eren could ask anything else, he heard Pumpkin make a small chirp, signaling she had finally woken up. He looked at her, watching as Pumpkin began biting Krista’s hand. “… Uh, what about her? Is there anything that I should know about her?”

“My mom gave us some supplemented food for both Teddy and Pumpkin to help them with getting their nutrition, but they’re fine for the most part.”

“That’s good to hear… I guess.”

Pumpkin kept nibbling the hands holding her before suddenly pausing and giving a needy meow. “Guess she’s getting hungry,” Reiner commented before taking her from Krista. “Better go feed her and the dogs.”

They all went back inside through the backdoor, and saw Erwin and Levi in the kitchen, fixing the pasta for the lasagna. Eren then watched as Reiner went over to the corner where several bags were before carrying them out to the dining room and setting Pumpkin down. He then reached into one of the bags and pulled out several bowls – two of which Eren recognized immediately as the ones he got with Marco – and then a can of food. As soon as the lid for the can was off, Pumpkin went for it and began eating out of it. “Hold on a sec,” Reiner told her as he tried to get her to stop, but she just continued eating until he used his fingers to scoop some of the wet food out and distract her with it while putting the rest in the bowl.

“Maybe we should have named her Sasha Jr.,” Ymir commented.

“We’ll have it as a nickname,” Reiner answered as the tiny cat kept eating while he was getting food for the dogs ready. When he was done, Pumpkin was already halfway done, prompting Reiner to get a second can out.

Eren raised an eyebrow while an image of a fat adult version of Pumpkin popped into his mind. “I get the feeling that Pumpkin will still be better if she is like Sasha though… and that she might actually be mistaken for one.”

_Next thing she’ll need will be a pumpkin costume._

“Hmm. Can you go get the dogs for me?”

Eren felt his eyes widen with Reiner’s question. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! FLOWER MIGHT TRY TO BITE ME AGAIN!!”

“She has her reasons. If I recall correctly, didn’t you spill paint on Flower when you first met her? When Reiner brought her over?”

Eren cringed at the memory. He was carrying some paint cans for an art project he was doing with Armin when Reiner walked flower over, and unfortunately, Eren tripped when he was a few feet away, accidentally getting green and orange paint on Flower. Ever since then, Flower hasn’t been friendly towards him, and he wouldn’t dare be left alone with her.

“What’s going on?” Eren looked to the side and saw Armin and Mikasa.

“Eren’s playing chicken with getting the dogs to feed them,” Ymir said.

“Am not,” Eren argued.

“I’ll go with him,” Armin offered. With that, he suddenly pulled Eren away. Within seconds, they were back in the living room.

Marco was still in the same spot from before, with both Teddy and Rogue nuzzling him, getting him to laugh a bit. Eren couldn't help but feel his heart soften when he heard Marco laughing… but that quickly ended when he heard Flower growling. Flower was now glaring at Eren, getting him to take a few steps back as Armin approached her.

“Hey Flower, time to eat,” he said as he began guiding her out of the room, giving Marco a quick smile as he was leaving. As he was passing Eren, Armin leaned in and said, “You get the puppies.”

After Armin left, Eren came closer. “Uh… is it okay if I take them? Reiner got food for them, including some special food with supplements and stuff for Teddy.”

Marco looked at him and nodded. “Okay.” He then carefully handed Rogue over, who made a small whine as she looked down at the floor when she was in Eren’s arm before hiding her face against him. When he was going to pick Teddy up, the white-golden dog made a whine and tried to stay with Marco.

Seeing that this was not going to work smoothly, Eren spoke again. “Uh… maybe you both can come? This way he doesn’t freak?”

“Um… alright.” Before Eren could try to help Marco move, the freckled boy was reaching for the wheels and was beginning to move them. It was… awkward, as he was having trouble turning and was rather slow. After a few seconds, he stopped. “Sorry, I’m just trying to figure out how this is suppose to work without anyone else’s help.” He raised his hands to hide his face. “… Harder than I though… guess I should have expected that though.”

“… Let me help you get in the right direction, and then let’s see if you can go the rest of the way.”

Marco removed his hands and looked up at him. A small smile appeared on his face. “Thanks.”

Eren felt his whole face suddenly burn. “N-no problem.”

-

“I think the lasagna’s finally ready.”

Levi walked away from the vegetables he had just finished preparing and looked into the oven to see if Erwin was right. Seeing that the cheese on the top seemed to have melted enough, he grabbed the oven mitts and proceeded to pull it out. When he did, he was examining it to make sure it was all right. He heard some footsteps approaching the kitchen and looked over his shoulder. In between the doorway that connected the dining room and kitchen, Ymir and Reiner stood besides each other. “May I help you two?”

“… Uh, so dinner’s ready?” Ymir smiled innocently, folding her hands together.

“For the most part, so I suggest if you help set up the table.” He listened as they started running to where the plates and utensils were kept and then back to the dining room, shouting at each other to stay out of the way. “I should have added the request of keeping it quiet.”

He took the lasagna to the dining and saw Eren helping Marco getting his wheelchair positioned at the table. Setting the dish down, he returned to the kitchen, walking up to Erwin. “Erwin.”

“Mm?”

“You did get a hold of the therapist like I asked you to, right?”

“Yes, I got hold of Nifa. She said she could start with Marco in three days.”

Three days… might as well take it. “… Thanks.”

Erwin nodded and took the vegetables to the table while Levi went to grab some of the soda cans they had in the refrigerator, as well as Marco’s medicine that was prescribed. As he went to the dining room again, he saw Eren was sitting next to Marco, serving his plate.

“So, you don’t mind Italian food, right?”

“Yeah, I fix it occasionally… but whenever I try to make the cheese to stuff pasta with, it’s always a disaster.”

“I bet Levi could show you how to do it. Trust me, he’s pretty good.”

“I’d like that.” Following Marco’s reply, there was a small whine, making Levi look down. There, in between the regular chair and Marco’s wheel chair, the husky dog was sitting there, looking at Marco. “Teddy, I can’t give you this, or you’ll get sick. We don’t want that.” Teddy made another whine, prompting Marco to reach down and scratch him. “I can give you a snack later though, okay? But only if you eat from your food.”

Surprisingly, the mutt seemed to have understood, and went over to where the dog bowls sat on the floor.

_Note to self, make sure Marco keeps that mutt with him at all times._

Levi stood back up and went over to Marco. “Here.” He handed him his medicine and then sat down next to Erwin just as everyone else was finally sitting down. As everyone began eating, Levi glanced over to Marco. He took his pills instantly and then had a very small portion of his meal on his fork and merely looking at it. Eren looked up and noticed, nudging Marco with his hand. Levi watched as Marco made a small nod and finally ate before getting another portion of food on his fork.

He was… like a pet that had been trained to well. One that wouldn’t do anything unless given permission.

Levi then recalled what the doctor at the hospital said about Marco becoming too attached to Eren.

_If he becomes absolutely dependent on him, that’s just going to be another unhealthy relationship._

Guess he would have to intervene with the two earlier than expected. Not that he was going to separate them… maybe just add someone to the room they were probably going to have to share.

-

Marco was halfway done with his dinner when he looked over at Eren again. He was almost done with his food, prompting Marco to keep eating the lasagna, letting its taste linger in his mouth each time he took a bite. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a full meal with this many carbs or fat.

It wasn’t bad, it was actually very delicious… but since Marco has been on a diet for so long, it was… odd. And part of him feared throwing it all up later on. As he was going to have another bite, he felt something rub against his foot. Looking down, he saw that it was Pumpkin. “Hi Pumpkin,” Marco greeted, earning one of her small chirps in return. “You finished your food?”

“FINISHED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.” He slowly looked at Ymir who was giving him a flat look. “We ended up giving that thing three cans after the first one. THREE!!”

Marco looked back down at Pumpkin, who simply squeaked.

_At least she won’t be underweight at this rate._

Turning around so that she was now facing Eren, Pumpkin raised her front paws and sunk her claws into his leg, making the boy wince as she started climbing. Making her way to his lap, she began kneading his stomach, getting Eren to look at her. “What are you doing?”

“She will never be satisfied with food given to her,” Ymir declared, “Now she seeks to make her own bread from flesh!”

As if to confirm Ymir’s statement, Pumpkin then bit where she was kneading. “Ow!”

Mikasa, who had took her plate to the kitchen and was walking back into the dining room, immediately came over and saw what made Eren yelp. “Come one,” she told the cat as she picked the cat up, letting it nip her fingers as she looked at Reiner. “Where are the toys?”

“Over there, next to the food bowls.”

She went to where Reiner was pointing and after searching one of the bags, pulled out the catnip mice before setting Pumpkin down and swinging them in front of her. Marco watched as Pumpkin instantly started bouncing and sliding around, trying to get the mice.

“Cats are weird,” Eren muttered.

“Levi, do we have any plans for dessert?” Marco looked over at Armin, who had finished his meal.

“No.”

“Wait as sec, doesn’t Eren have some cake?”

Before there was an answer from Levi, Ymir bolted out from her chair and to the kitchen, where there was the sound of the refrigerator opening then slamming shut. “I GOT THE CAKE NOW!!” That claim was then followed by an insane laugh that seemed to be going away then upstairs.

Marco listened as Levi groaned. “Krista, please see that she doesn’t make a mess.”

“Alright.” The blond girl, who had finished her meal a while ago, got up and ran out the room. “Ymir! Get back here!!”

At a loss of what to make of this, Marco finally took that the next bite that was sitting on his fork.

Eventually, he finally finished his meal. “I can get your plate,” Armin offered as he instantly took it.

“Oh, thanks…” Marco picked up the pill containers and placed them in his lap, then grasped the wheelchair and tried to move backwards and turn to the side.

“Here.” Eren instantly helped him turn the wheelchair to the right, allowing Marco to wheel himself out. “I can take the pills and put them in the bathroom if you want, although it’s upstairs….”

“Th-thanks, and it’s okay I guess,” Marco said bashfully, feeling a bit of dread when he heard the bathroom was was upstairs. As he was finally far enough from the table, Teddy came up to him, sliding across the floor. “Hi Teddy.” Marco reached down to scratch his ears, getting a pleased sound from the dog. Marco then tried to see if he could bend down to pick him up, but as he leaned over, his abdomen began hurting, making him stop. “Oww…”

“Marco?” Eren was looking at him with concern as he bended down to see his face.

“I-I think it’s just the bruises…” Slowly straightening his back, he watched as Eren bended down and picked Teddy up again. “Thanks.” He carefully took Teddy, cradling the puppy in his arms. “How are you? Hmm? Ready for a snack like I promised?” Teddy rubbed his face against him, getting him to laugh lightly. “Take that as a yes.” With some help with Eren in turning again, Marco wheeled himself and Teddy into the kitchen, where he saw Reiner feeding something to Flower and Rogue. “Um, what’s that?”

The older boy looked up and held up what he had in his right hand. “Apple slices with peanut butter. Perfectly safe. As long as the dogs don’t have any allergies. I’m guessing you want something to give Teddy?”

“Yes please.”

Reiner came over and handed him a few apple slices that had peanut butter spread on one side for each piece. As soon as Marco had them in his hands, Teddy immediately began eating them. “Hey, slow down silly,” he giggled as the puppy swallowed one of the slices with three swift bites. As soon as the slices were gone, Teddy licked Marco’s hands for either the remaining peanut butter or apple juice, tickling Marco a bit. As soon as Teddy was finished, he resumed rubbing himself against Marco.

Suddenly, Flower reached up and took Teddy off his lap. In shock, Marco watched as Flower took him away to the backdoor with Rogue following. “Um?”

“One second,” Reiner told the dog as he suddenly went to the dining room and returned with several leashes. “This is usually the time when I take the dogs at home for their walk.” Quickly attaching the leashes to the dogs’ collars, Reiner opened the door. Flower bolted out of the door, followed by Rogue and Teddy, pulling Reiner with them. “Woah!” The next thing Marco heard was a loud thud and some groaning.

Eren walked into the room, looking at the open door. “… Did the dogs pull Reiner out again before he closed the door?”

“Um… yes?”

Eren sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Every single time.” He then went over to the door, only to stop dead in his tracks. “Uh, nice Flower, gooood girl…” Marco watched as Eren slowly closed the door and took a few steps back. “That dog wants to eat me, I swear.”

“What did you do to get her to dislike you so much?”

Bashfully, Eren glanced at Marco then looked away. “… I spilled paint on her.”

“Paint? Isn’t that dangerous for animals?”

“IT-” Marco flinched at the sudden volume, but Eren paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “It was for a project…”

“O-oh…” He raised his hand to his chest in relief that Eren didn’t yell at him. As soon as he did, he felt something cold against his palm. Looking down in confusion, he saw what it was.

The pendant Jean gave him.

Not wanting to think about it, he was about to take it off, but stopped as his fingers were on the clasp. Not entirely sure why, Marco put the necklace under his shirt instead, where he couldn’t see it.

Later, Reiner came back in with all three dogs. Teddy instantly started running towards Marco again, sliding across the floor in one direction before trying to go another way… as well as leaving muddy tracks, making a huge mess across the whole place. Just as Levi walked in.

_Uh oh._

Marco watched as Levi glared at Reiner. “What did I say last time about having a dog track mud through the place?” Teddy instantly flinched when he heard Levi’s voice, and tried to hide behind Eren and Marco.

“S-sorry… I’ll wash them off outside.” He looked over at Eren and tilted his head.

“… What am I, the dog catcher?!” Eren picked Teddy up, and soon had Teddy pushing him away with his muddy paws, getting Eren’s face dirty as he used his front paws top push against Eren’s face. “Mmrrrr.” Quickly handing Teddy over to Reiner, Eren looked down at his shirt, where muddy paw prints from Teddy’s hind paws stood out. “… I need a bath.”

“Please, by all means, go take it,” Levi muttered as he was getting something from beneath the sink in the kitchen, which Marco saw was cleaning products and grabbed a mop that was nearby. “In the meantime, I need to clean this.”

“Alright.” With that, Eren began leaving the room, disappearing as he went to the stairs.

Within minutes and before Marco could even register what happened, Levi had gone through the whole area, leaving the floor spotless.

_… How?_

He stared at Levi with confusion, only coming out of his daze when he heard Teddy bark, making him look to see Reiner walking back inside with a now slightly wet Teddy and Rogue in his arms while Flower was right behind him. After Reiner passed Levi, he came back over to Marco and offered him Teddy. “Here you go, the clean edition.” The comment was rewarded with a disgruntled growl from Teddy. Marco took the dog and petted him gently before feeling him bury his face against him. “Where’s Eren?”

“He went to take a bath to get the mud off him.”

“Ah.”

Armin then appeared behind Reiner. “Can I hold Rogue for a while? Mikasa’s got Pumpkin, so I’m feeling a little left out with the animal loving.”

“Okay.” Reiner carefully handed the black puppy over to Armin, making sure she was in his arms before letting go, just as his phone went off. He swiftly pulled it out and answered. “Hey Bert.” He glanced over to Marco before starting to leave the room, heading to the front door as Flower followed him.

Marco nervously looked down, unsure what to make of it.

“Marco? You okay?”

“… I’m fine. Just getting a little tired.”

“… Alright… wait, what time is it?”

Marco looked over at the clock that was hanging over the kitchen-dining room doorway. “Uh, almost nine…”

Armin made a face as he looked at the clock in confusion. “That late? What happened? I haven’t even picked who I’m going to share a room with.”

_… Share a room with?_

“… Um… what was that last part?”

Armin looked at Marco. “We… didn’t tell you yet? That there are only five bedrooms and that we usually have to double up?”

“… No?”

Armin paled and bit his lower lip. “Uh… sorry to drop the bomb this late? But the good news is that four of the rooms has at two beds and one of them has three beds!!”

Marco felt very uncomfortable now with the new facts. He didn’t like the idea of sleeping with another person, even if it was simply just the same room rather than the same bed. “Uh, I think I’ll just sleep on the couch-”

“DON’T.” Levi’s stern voice shocked Marco, making him look at him. “That’s not a good couch to sleep on.” He then rubbed his neck and glared at the couch, as if recalling something horrible.

Marco nodded quickly, not wanting to pick a fight. “Alright… Can I move my stuff upstairs then?”

Levi nodded. “Wait a moment.” He then went to the dining room again and then came back with Mikasa. “We don’t have a ramp for the stairs, so we’ll need to lift the wheelchair while going up. Sorry.” He looked over at Armin. “Can you bring his stuff up?”

“One sec,” Armin said as he then got Teddy and placed him down with Rogue before grabbing Marco’s stuff.

“Thanks.” With that, Levi began wheeling Marco over to the stairs, and then stopped before turning around so Mikasa could get the front of the wheel chair. “Ready?”

Marco, not wanting to make a fuss, nodded.

He was surprised by how easily they could lift him, and how fast they managed to get him to the next floor. Marco then saw Mikasa look down the steps. “Armin, you coming?”

“I’m coming, the dogs are just surrounding my feet.” There was the sound of footsteps coming up the steps that stopped halfway up the stairs. “… Pfft, oh my god…” Armin began laughing, continuing after he made it to the top, with only Rogue at his feet. “Teddy’s having trouble with coming up the stairs!”

One of the doors in the hallway opened, and Ymir poked her head out, with chocolate frosting on her face. “Say what?”

“He’s having trouble climbing the first step!”

She vanished back into the room and came out with her phone in hand. “I need a video of this!”

“Ymir no!” Krista came out of the same room and crossed her arms.

“Ymir yes,” Armin managed to say between his laughter and then looked back down the stairs. “Teddy, what’s wrong? Come on up!”

Howling with laughter, the freckled girl leaned against the wall for support. “Oh my god, look at his face!”

Krista huffed and looked down the stairs. “Come on Teddy, you can do it.”

Curious to see what was going on, Marco wheeled himself closer to the stairs and looked down. At the bottom of the steps, Teddy had his front paws on the first step, but was whimpering, unsure what to do as he was having trouble getting a good hold of the step. However, when he saw Marco, he tried to put his hind paws on the same step with his front paws, but then slid backwards, landing on the floor. Teddy looked up at the top of the stairs and began howling and yelping for help, making Marco feel horrible for him.

Thankfully for Teddy, Reiner walked in and saw the distressed puppy. “What’s going on?”

“He’s afraid of the stairs,” Ymir cackled while trying to keep her phone still.

Reiner glared at her before turning his attention back to Teddy. “Come on buddy, let me help you.” He was going to pick the whining puppy up from the floor but Flower came in and beat him to it and took Teddy up the stairs, making everyone back away so that she could get through. She set Teddy down next to Rogue and groomed them both quickly.

One of the doors opened then, and Eren poked his head out, his hair completely soaked. “What’s going on?” He froze when he saw Flower, and ducked back into the bathroom and closed the door. “REINER, WHAT IS SHE DOING UP HERE?!”

Reiner, who had managed to make it up the stairs, replied, “She brought Teddy up, and I’m going to have her in my bedroom.”

“God help whoever is sleeping with you tonight,” Eren sassed back.

“So glad you mentioned it Eren,” Levi began, “Because Marco is going to be his room partner for tonight, along with Eren.”

Marco blanked out for a moment before speaking. “Huh?”

The bathroom door opened up again for Eren to look out again. “Wait, what?”

“You tend to talk in your sleep, so hopefully Reiner can get you to be quiet,” Levi said while looking at Eren. “And maybe Flower could warm up to you while we’re here.”

“That’s true,” Armin said while nodding, all while Eren blushed instantly.

Nervously, Marco glanced over to Reiner, who was leading Flower away from the bathroom as she was beginning to growl at Eren. Reiner… did seem to be nice… but Marc couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was actually disgusted with him.

But he didn’t object. It would be causing a fuss.

Mikasa helped Marco get to the room he was going to be sharing with Reiner and Eren later. Like Armin said earlier, there were three beds, although two of them were very close together. Reiner was right next to one as he was getting a blanket out and laid it on the floor while the german shepherd stood next to him. Teddy and Rogue, who had followed Marco and Mikasa, were approached by Flower and then nudged over to the blanket. Marco watched as Flower began grooming them again, and Rogue snuggled up close to the larger dog while Teddy tried to go back to Marco, although he was trapped under Flower’s paw as she was cleaning him.

Marco took a deep breath, hoping that this night won’t be too bad.

Later on, after Eren finished taking a bath, Marco went to use the bathroom – he had managed to move out of his wheel chair on his own for a brief time while using the toilet, sparing him the embarrassment of having someone assist him in there. When he finished washing his hands and was heading out, Reiner was standing outside, probably waiting for his turn. “S-sorry,” Marco stammered and quickly wheeled himself out before Reiner could say anything to him.

Making his way to the bedroom, he saw Eren had fallen asleep on one of the beds. Even though Flower was still in the room. Marco moved his wheelchair closer and took a look at Eren’s face. This was the first time he had seen Eren actually sleep. He looked younger than he usually did while asleep, and more relaxed as well. It was… rather cute to see him like this, to be honest. Marco couldn’t help but smile before going over to the bed next to the one Eren was in.

He cringed as he moved himself from his wheel chair to the bed. The painkillers certainly were helping, given that it was less painful to move now than it was earlier at the hospital, but he still could only move without the wheel chair for a short distance. While getting under the sheets, he noticed that they weren’t like the ones he used to sleep in while with Jean. They weren’t as fine or soft… Marco quickly batted those thoughts away. He didn’t want to think about it.

While lying down, Teddy jumped up right next to the pillow and rubbed against Marco’s cheek, giving him a few licks. “I guess you want to sleep with me again?” Marco petted Teddy as the puppy curled up right next to him and yawned. Within minutes, Marco drifted off to sleep as well.

-

Levi held the front door open for Erwin. “You will let me know what happens during the interrogation, I assume?”

“Yes. If Nathan has any information regarding Jean’s possible whereabouts, or if we need something better to crack him, I’ll be sure to call you.”

“What about the case with Annie?”

“Hanji said she’s comparing his DNA to the hairs she tested earlier.”

Levi made a small hum and continued to follow Erwin to the car. “Who’s bringing her and her brother here tomorrow?”

“I asked Isabel and Farlan to do it. They said yes, and that they would like to help out for a few days.”

Levi sighed. “I’ll have to make sure it doesn’t conflict with Isabel’s classes.”

“Doting older brother as usual,” Erwin commented as he opened the car door and got it. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Fine.” Levi watched as Erwin turned the car on and drove off, only heading back to the house when the car lights were out of sight.

-

Marco felt his body shiver and curled in an effort to keep warm. After a moment, he noticed something. The sheets didn’t feel right. They were… too comfortable… they were like the ones he slept in before. His eyes were open within seconds and he pushed himself up to look at the sheets. They… they were the same. Marco began panicking and looked at the rest of the room. It was the same one as the house back at Rose. “… What?” Marco tried to get out of the bed, regardless of how much it hurt to move, but that’s when the bedroom door open.

Before Marco had a chance to react, he was forced back down on the bed, both of his wrists pinned down by a single hand above his head. It was Jean. His face was filled with rage, making Marco tremble. “Thought you could leave me?” He bared his teeth while talking, frightening Marco more. “After all I did for you, you dared to leave me?!”

“Please, please, don’t,” Marco began pleading, but was slapped in response.

“WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN ASK ANYTHING FROM ME NOW?! YOU BROKE OUR PROMISE!!” He tightened his hold on Marco’s wrist, digging his nails into Marco’s skin, as he continued to holler at him. “UNGRATEFUL SLUT!! I BET YOU WERE GETTING READY TO SPREAD APART THOSE FAT LEGS OF YOURS FOR EREN!!”

Marco felt tears form in his eyes as he shook his head desperately. “No, that’s not it, I swear!”

“LIKE YOU PROMISED ME YOU’D STAY WITH ME?!” Jean raised his hand again, curling it into a fist, and hit the side of Marco’s head, dazing him for a moment.

When Marco was able to focus again, his wrists had been fastened to the bed with handcuffs. He frantically tried to pull his wrists out of them, but it wasn’t working. He looked back at Jean, crying. “Please, I’m begging you, don’t…”

Jean made a sound that was almost a laugh and then painfully seized Marco’s face. “I’m going to see that you never set another foot outside.” Marco felt Jean release his face, moving his hands down to the inside of his thighs and while painfully gripping them, began pushing them apart.

“Please… DON’T!!”

“Marco!”

Marco blinked when he heard someone who was not Jean call his name and immediately sat up, holding his arms out for protection, shaking uncontrollably. Then he blinked in confusion when he realized that he wasn’t tied down. He quickly looked around the room, realizing that he was back at the room he originally fell asleep in.

_It was… just a dream?_

“Marco?”

Hearing his name being called again, Marco looked to see someone reaching out to him. “NO!” Marco knocked the hand away and curled up against the end of the bed that was against the wall, feeling pain surge through him as he moved, all while feeling the lingering touch of Jean’s hands on his thighs.

“Marco, Marco, it’s us!!”

Still shaking, Marco looked up, seeing that Eren and Reiner was standing next to the bed. “… Eren?”

“Teddy woke me up,” Eren said before holding up the puppy, who was squirming in his hold while whimpering. “You started crying in your sleep, and then I got Reiner up… did you have a nightmare?” Marco didn’t say anything in return, hugging himself some more before nodding. “… Want me to get you something?”

“… My painkillers… the white oval ones…”

Eren nodded before putting Teddy down on the bed and ran out, leaving Marco with Reiner and the puppy. Teddy immediately went up to Marco and nudged himself closer carefully, which Marco reciprocated by holding him close, trying to calm down.

He then felt the bed shift, making him look up to see Reiner had sat down on the edge. “Do you want to talk about the nightmare?” Marco didn’t reply, unsure what to make of the situation. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Reiner anything or wait for Eren to come back. “… You don’t trust me, do you?”

“Wh-what? N-no, that’s not it!”

“… But you trust Eren more.”

“… Yes…” Marco hung his head as he answered, holding Teddy closer. It was true. Eren was the only person who Marco trusted entirely. Everyone else… he wasn’t sure of.

Reiner nodded. “Guess that should be expected.”

“… Huh?”

“After what you’ve been through, it’s normal not to trust anyone. Not easily anyway.”

“… What do you know about what I’ve been through?” A moment after he said that, Marco regretted it when he realized how harsh his statement was. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine. And to be fair, I don’t know anything about your experience.” Reiner turned himself to look at him. “I guess there’s no right or wrong way to act after everything that has happened. If you want to be angry about it, it’s completely understandable… It’s also understandable if you’re still scared of us. But I want to guarantee you this. No one here will harm you for anything. We all want you to be a friend.”

Marco looked at Reiner, studying his face. “… You… really think that?”

“Yeah.” Before Marco could figure out why, he smiled at Reiner.

“Marco! I got the pills!” Marco looked at the door and watched Eren run in, holding a cup with water and one of the pill bottles. “Sorry I took so long!” As Eren was coming closer, there was a sudden yelp, making Eren freeze seconds after, a few feet from Marco’s bed as Reiner took the water and pills from him. There was a growl followed, making Eren turn his head. Flower was now up. Glaring at Eren. Then a whimpering Rogue appeared, hiding behind Rogue’s legs while nursing her tail, indicating what Eren’s crime was. “… Oops?”

Reiner handed Marco the water and pills and went over to the dogs. “What happened? Did scary brother Eren accidentally step on you?” He sat down and picked Rogue up, letting the black puppy rub her face against him as he adjusted her so that he was holding her with one hand. With the other hand, he began petting Flower. “Come one, he was worried about Marco. I think you can let this one slide.”

Eventually the german shepherd stopped growling, and then took Rogue from Reiner and went back to where they were sleeping before being woken up. But before Flower turned around completely, she shot a glare at Eren.

“… Reiner, she’s going to eat me.”

“No she’s not.”

“You don’t know that, you can’t read minds.”

While Eren and Reiner continued their little debate, Marco rubbed the remaining tears from his eyes and took his medicine.

Eventually, he got tired again and laid down on the bed, Teddy still next to him. He then saw Eren lie back down in his bed as Reiner was heading out. “Um, Reiner?”

“I’m just going to use the bathroom quickly… and then to get Flower some treats, so I can prove to Eren that she won’t eat him.” The blonde disappeared from the room, leaving Marco and Eren in the room.

“… Eren?”

The boy blinked before saying, “What is it?”

“… Do you think… I can… really become friends with the others?”

Eren didn’t reply for a while, then gave a nod. “Yeah. I don’t know how long it will take, but you’re a good person. And trust me, I wouldn’t be friends with them if they were bad people.” He then held out his hand. “But… if you ever need to talk about something… no matter how you feel about it, or how big the issue is, let me know.”

Marco blinked and then reached for the hand Eren was offering, clasping his hand. “… Alright.”

“Okay. Good night Dots.” After Eren said that, he instantly looked horrified. “… I thought I finally broke the habit.”

“… It’s fine,” Marco reassured him while smiling. “I… actually kind of like it.”

Eren turned a faint pink and hid his face with his pillow.

Marco giggled a bit before letting sleep over take him, still holding Eren’s hand.

-

Nathan struggled as he was being dragged away, his head being covered by a bag and his hands in cuffs. “Where’s my lawyer?! I demand I get one!” No one answered him, leaving him to grit his teeth. After being taken in by police, some weird guys showed up and knocked him out cold. When he became conscious again, he was in some vehicle with the bag to block his vision and cuffs. He kept trying to get whoever was there to talk to him, but they ignored him.

Eventually, he felt himself being forced to sit in a chair, then his handcuffs were removed. But as Nathan tried to make a run, he was then forced down again, and felt his hands being cuffed separately, as well as his feet. “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!”

“So glad you asked.” The bag that was over his head was then removed, and the light in the room temporarily blinded him. When he was able to see again, he saw a person, a girl by the looks of it, with short blond hair and blue eyes.

“Oh, I see they sent me in to the sexy lady cop to talk, huh?”

“First off, I’m not a cop. Second, I’m not a lady.”

Huh, so she was one of those people who were either claiming to be a guy or neither gender. “Don’t you go lying to me sweetheart, I know a lady when I see one, specially with those curves.”

She narrowed her eyes at him coldly before looking to the side. “Do it Mike.”

Before those words made any sense to him, Nathan felt something hit his face, feeling some teeth break inside his mouth. After letting the teeth fall out, he looked to his side and saw a towering male figure, bringing his fists closer to him while rubbing his knuckles. “I needed that.”

“WHAT THE FUCK?! YOU JUST CAN’T ASSULT PEOPLE!!”

“Funny,” the girl said while crossing her arms, “You didn’t seem aware of that when you assaulted Eren.”

Nathan blinked. “What the fuck do you know about that?! He bit my fucking fingers off! It’s him you should be doing this to, not me!!”

“So glad you mentioned it,” a third voice spoke from behind, staying out of Nathan’s field of vision. “You see, Nanaba was telling the truth when she said she wasn’t a cop. None of us are. But that doesn’t mean we can’t put you away.”

Nathan struggled to get a view of whoever was talking to him, getting irritated. “Who are you?!”

“We’re… a special part of the military.”

Military. That meant government.

_SHIT SHIT SHIT!!_

“Wh-wha-why is the military getting involved? I-I didn’t do anything!”

Mike glared at him and walked around so that he was directly in front. “Let’s just say, when you decided to mess with Eren, you were basically attacking someone who is under heavy military surveillance and protecting. But in a way, you made things slightly easier for us.” He then held up a picture to Nathan. “Involving the investigation for this girl.”

Nathan looked at the picture, before realization hit him. It was the blonde girl that bit him three years ago.

Nanaba tilted her head when she saw his expression. “Surprised this is all coming back now?”

“I-I DON’T KNOW HER!!”

The voice behind him spoke again. “Funny. Your DNA sure as hell does. So that means…” the person walked around so they were right next to Mike, glaring down at Nathan from behind their glasses. He really couldn’t tell if it was a guy or a girl this time. “You are now officially our second suspect in her case. If you’re wondering who the first one is, that would be the guy you were with at the Interior, Jean.”

Nathan didn’t say anything. These people clearly weren’t getting him a lawyer anytime soon, so it was better to stay quiet until they did.

“Looks like he’s not saying anything else.”

“For now.” Hanji walked back to where he/she was before. “I was hoping not to get these dirty, but I value answers more.” Hanji came back, pushing a cart along with him/her. Nathan then saw her/him pick something up and then turned to face him. It was a pair of plier.

Before Nathan could react, Hanji came up to him and clamped his thumbnail with the plier, holding hand from moving. “Hey, hey, stop!”

“Nope.”

That was the last thing he heard before feeling his nail being ripped out, making him scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NATHAN HAD IT COMING!!
> 
> just to clarify, in my fic, Nanaba and Hanji are both non binary and are usually addressed as they. When the fic's dialogue was from Nathan's perspective when he was calling Nanaba a girl, it was because he refuses to address non-binary/trans people their preferred pronoun.
> 
> to clarify, i did draw the tree myself.
> 
> sorry if this wasn't as fluffy as you guys were hoping for.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAAAY! 408 KUDOS!! -hugs all of you and gives u cake-
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I had a summer job, and it took up more time than i thought it would, school started up for me again and i'm taking extra courses to i can finish my business major and go after an art major. Also, i have been somewhat demotivated... it's not that i don't want to write, I'm just having a hard time figuring out how to do it... writing block isn't going away QAQ
> 
> Speaking of art, I have also been trying to improve my drawing skills - another reason why i took so long. 
> 
> Remember how i said I was intending this and my total-wrecker tumblr account to be an anonymous writer account because I was worried about hate messages? Probably not...   
> Well, if you guys want a link to the tumblr account I use more often and post some of my art work on, I now feel comfortable enough to give you guys it. FYI, there is little to no smut on it, cuz my best friend follows me on there and she gets uncomfortable with smut. That and my sister follows me on there, and she is one of the most anti-smut people I ever encountered.
> 
> The porn is substituted with rabbits though. A lot of rabbits. I have been conquered by rabbits.
> 
> If you have any questions about the fic, feel free to submit them here: http://bidjodb-ask.tumblr.com/  
> it might help stimulate my brain for writing.

Marco heard a muffled sound right next to him, making him blink. Sunlight was streaming into the room, so it was clearly morning. He heard the muffled sound again and looked to the side. Right next to him, Flower was lying on top of Eren, covering the boy’s head with her body, making him flail his arms in panic. “Eren!!” Marco sat up, but felt pain go through his whole body when he did. “Ow!” He must have moved too fast.

As he tried to get up again, slower this time, he heard someone come into the room. “Flower! Get off!” He then saw Reiner come over and picked the german shepherd up in his arms.

“GAH!!” Eren gasped for air as soon as Flower was off of him, spitting out something out of his mouth. Marco watched as he scrambled off the bed, falling in the space between his own bed and Marco’s. He then glared at Reiner. “YOU GET HER OUT NOW.”

“Aw, come on, she didn’t mean any real harm.”

“I nearly suffocated, and I got dog hairs in my mouth. I think that’s real harm right there.”

“Alright, alright, I was getting the dogs ready for a walk anyway,” Reiner said before heading out. “Levi’s fixing breakfast, anything you two want?”

“N-no,” Marco answered, fidgeting with his bandages slightly, since they were starting to feel itchy…

“I’m good with whatever he fixes,” Eren said, trying to get out of the gap he was in. “Mrrr,” he grunted as he was having no success.

“H-here, lemme help,” Marco offered. Reiner had already left, so he was the only person currently available. He reached for Eren’s hand and pulled him up to his bed. “You okay?”

Eren blinked and turned a slight pink shade. “Y-yeah… what about you? Anymore nightmares?”

Thinking for a moment, Marco shook his head. “No, not after you gave me my pills…”

“That’s good to hear,” Eren replied. “How long have you been awake?”

“Uh, not very long… you actually woke me up,” Marco admitted. “Muffled shouting and all.”

“Not my fault,” Eren stated. “I was going to get up when Flower jumped on top of me and tried to smother me to death. And this is not the first time she has done this. She did it three months ago when I came over to Reiner’s place and lied down on the couch.”

Marco shook his head, immediately picturing Eren flailing around in panic on a couch. “Aww, poor baby,” he said sympathetically.

Eren pouted. “I just hope Reiner doesn’t sleep with me again tonight, or it’s going to be the same thing tomorrow.”

Marco smiled and started rubbing his neck, trying to make the area under the gauze feel better.

“Uh, do you want to change bandages now?” Eren sat up and scooted a little closer. “Do you want any help?”

Marco felt himself blush before answering. “I’ll probably need it,” he admitted.

“Alright, I’ll go grab some more gauze and you can start with the bandages on your arms. Okay?”

Marco nodded and started undoing the gauze on his arms while Eren quickly left. When he finished with his left arm, he examined it. The initial swelling of the puncture wounds Jean gave him had gone down since the last time he saw them, so that was good. But as he experimentally pressed down on one, he felt a sharp pain shoot through. “Ow!”

“Marco?” Hearing his name, Marco looked up and saw Eren running back in with a medical kit in his hands. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I was messing around with my arm, I’m fine though,” Marco said, trying to smile to relieve Eren.

Eren didn’t say anything for a minute, sitting back down on the bed quietly and took some new gauze out before looking at Marco. “Dots, er, Marco,” He started, looking nervous. “I’m… not suppose to do this… at least without permission or supervision from either Levi or someone else… but… it might help you with getting better.”

Confused, Marco stared at Eren. “W-what do you mean?”

“… It’s easier if I show you. Sorry if it creeps you out.” Eren reached into the med kit and pulled out a paper cup before raising it to his mouth… and then spat saliva into it. Several times.

“Ew!”

Eren lowered the cup from his mouth, looking worried at Marco’s reaction. “J-just bear with me, please… Damn, that’s less than what I was hoping for… oh well…” He then stuck two of his fingers into the cup, pulling them back out with saliva on the tips and used his other hand to hold Marco’s bare arm out. “Ready?”

“… What exactly are you doing Eren?”

“Marco.” Eren’s voice became very low, pleading with him in a sad voice. “Please.”

Reluctantly, Marco gave a brief nod.

Carefully, Eren pressed the two wet fingers against the most noticeable wounds, making Marco shiver. As Eren drew his hands away, Marco felt something on his skin. Like… a warm, tingling sensation. Marco watched as the wounds that Eren had put some of his saliva on… were shrinking.

Within seconds, they were no longer there.

Dumbfounded, Marco reached for the spot that was now free of any punctures and pressed down. It hardly hurt anymore. “… Eren? What was that?”

Eren scratched the back of his neck, silent for a moment while shifting his eyes back and forth. “Uh… I got healing spit.”

Marco’s brain blanked out for a moment just as he blurted out, “Is it because you’re a shifter?”

The shorter boy nodded and resumed helping Marco with his bandages. “It’s not just the spit either…”

Marco blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

“… You remember what I said about us having a faster healing rate? Well… we can regrow organs and body parts. We can donate almost any organs or tissues we want, and we will be fine. Well, aside from being unconscious for a while if it’s a major organ… we just can’t give any nerve tissue. It’s basically useless.”

Marco stared at Eren with amazement. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s one of the reasons why after the war, there were more available transplants for people… well… sort of a reason.”

Marco raised an eyebrow. “Sort of?” Eren glanced away and muttered something below his breath. “Can you say that again?”

 “… You know when a person receives a transplant, they have to take medicines to prevent a immune response, and has to be compatible with the donor?” Marco nodded, not sure where this was going. “… Apparently… shifter’s tissues need to be… treated before being used in any transplants. Spit is usually okay, but everything else – blood, muscles, bone, skin – it causes a large immune response… and can kill the recipient.”

Marco stared at Eren in silent horror.

“Annnnd, that’s one of the reasons why we’re under surveillance, to make sure there are no careless donations!!” Eren tried to force a smile on his face, but it wasn’t really good.

“… I need a moment,” Marco admitted, falling back onto his bed. This was a lot to take in.

“Sorry… Do you want any more help with the bandages?”

“Huh? Oh, r-right, sorry, I-I mean yes please,” Marco stammered. He sat up again, wincing as he felt his body ache again, freezing when he felt Eren help him back up.

“Just take it easy…” Eren helped undo the bandage on his other arm before asking, “Uh, do you want any more of the healing spit-er, stuff?”

Marco shook his head. “Not now.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know, okay?”

Marco silently nodded as Eren began putting on the fresh gauze on his arms.

After he was finished, Eren reached for Marco’s head, undoing the tie that was keeping his eye patch in place. “Ready?” After a brief nod, Marco felt the eye patch being removed, and blinked as his right eye adjusted to the light. His vision in the right eye wasn’t as blurry as it was back at the hospital, but it still wasn’t fully healed. He did notice Eren’s face while looking.

“… How bad is it?” Marco still had not seen his eye, and he couldn’t help asking.

“It’s… Pretty red… but it’s better than what it was before,” Eren tried to assure him. He then reached into the medical kit and pulled out a new eye patch and helped putting it in place.

As soon as he did, Marco realized that he would have to remove his shirt for the next part, and that he would be exposed to Eren.

He felt himself tense up at the realization, not sure if he could handle it.

“Marco? What’s wrong?”

“… I-I…” He couldn’t get himself to say it. He held his face in his hands, wishing he could just disappear.

“…Is it… the rest of the bandages?” Marco hesitantly nodded, feeling shame wash over him. “… Do you want me to leave?”

“… I know I need help with changing the gauze…”

“I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable,” Eren told him.

“… Let’s just get it over with,” Marco said before hurrying to get his shirt off. He avoided looking at Eren when he finally got it off his arms and turned around because the gauze was fastened in the back.

Before Eren started removing it, he told Marco, “Let me know if you want me to stop.”

Remaining quiet, he felt the bandages fall away from his neck first, feeling air wash over his now exposed healing skin, the urge to cover them up with his hands starting.

_Don’t think about it, don’t think about it. This is Eren. You can trust him._

He tried to stay still as much as possible when he felt Eren’s fingers touch the patch on his side that hid the worst of the injury from the whip. “… Ready?” Giving a brief nod so that it would be over, Marco winced as he felt the patch peel away from him, the wound and scar on his side both as plain as day.

He heard Eren grab something, but kept facing away from him. “I’m going to apply some of the disinfectant now, is that okay?”

Marco braced himself for what was coming, trying to fight down the urge to pull away. “Sure.”

Within a minute of saying that, Marco felt something over his scar, and instantly felt it burn. “Ow!” He pulled away from Eren, holding his side as his body ached again from the sudden movements and defensively curled into a ball.

“I’m sorry!!” Hearing the panic in Eren’s voice made Marco look up to face him, and he saw a small damp cloth in his hand. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t being careful enough,” he apologized.

“N-no, that’s not…” He flinched as he tried to move again. “It just… hurt more than what I’m used to during this kind of situation…”

He then saw horror appear on Eren’s face. “… You were… beaten this badly before?”

Marco swallowed, regretting that he said that. “… No… not to the point where I would have to stay at the hospital for a while…” He hung his head. “Most of the time… Jean would treat my injuries.”

_Why am I telling him this?_

Despite his question, Marco continued. “He always did… even when we were little…” Marco felt something tug at his heart recalling their time at the orphanage. “He used to let me help him out as well… but I wasn’t as good as he was… he ended up having a huge scar from when he fell from a tree he was climbing once… but when we found each other again… he refused to let me help him.”

\--

_Marco was looking through the bathroom for the medical kit that was kept in there, frantically gnawing his lower lip. Earlier, Jean had came back from one of his business trips, and Marco saw he had a cut on his hands. When he tried to ask about it, Jean got angry and told him to stay out of it. He shoved Marco against one of the walls when he did, and almost slapped him. Almost._

_It had already been a few weeks since Marco lied to Jean about the bookstore just so that he could go to a party. His arm was still healing, but it didn’t hurt as much._

_“Ah! There it is,” Marco said to himself as he finally found it underneath the sink. As he stood back up, he saw Jean standing behind him in the mirror’s reflection. “Oh, Jean!” Marco turned around with the medical kit, trying to smile in hope that Jean wasn’t as angry as earlier._

_“What the hell are you doing?” Jean glared at him, indicating that his anger had not subsided._

_“I…” Marco began trembling, not sure how Jean will react. “I thought… I could help treat your cut… I-I know you told me to stay out of it-“_

_“So why the fuck are you meddling with it?”_

_“I’m just worried,” Marco said in panic, dreading what was coming._

_Jean growled and snatched the kit out of his hands. “I can do it myself!!” He then pushed Marco outside, making him fall to the floor, landing on his shoulder again just as Jean slammed the door shut._

_Marco slowly sat up, feeling his arm’s injury throb from the fall. Trying desperately to keep himself from crying there, Marco retreated to the bedroom. He fell onto the bed while lying on his side with his uninjured arm, dreading he had made Jean angrier than before._

_He wasn’t how long it was before he heard Jean enter the bedroom. He sat up to look at him, studying his face for any sign of rage. Thankfully, there wasn’t any. “Jean?”_

_Jean didn’t answer. Instead, he came over to the bed and sat down next to Marco. “… Marco,” he began, “I want to make something clear. I’m better at treating injuries, so I don’t want you doing any of it, alright?”_

_“Y-yes,” Marco agreed, just wanting to keep Jean from getting angry again._

_“Good… and another thing…” Jean climbed on top of Marco, trapping him beneath his body. “I have to discipline you about sticking your nose into other people’s business.”_

_\--_

“Marco?”

He blinked when he heard Eren say his name, bringing him out of his daze. “Y-yes?”

“You… were shaking…”

“… I remembered something unpleasant,” he said in a quiet voice.

He felt the bed shift, and then saw Eren was moving closer to him. “… Are you okay with me helping you?”

“… I think you’re the only person I can really handle,” Marco admitted.

Eren bit his lower lip before nodding. “Alright… is it okay if I just put the new bandage on?”

“I think it needs more of the disinfectant,” Marco admitted.

“Got it. I’ll be more careful this time.” Eren raised the cloth with the disinfectant again and gently tapped it against Marco again. It hurt, but indeed, Eren was being careful enough so that it hurt less. “I think that should do it,” He said before taking out a new bandage and gently applying it on. He then removed another bandage on Marco and did the same thing again, still being careful.

Somehow, Marco managed to keep himself in control during the whole thing.

After he was finished with the wounds along his chest and sides, Eren got a new cloth and applied some more disinfectant. “… Is it okay if I do the ones on your neck now?”

“… Yes…” Marco clutched the bed sheets beneath his hand, trying to keep himself from freaking out as Eren started doing the neck.

Thankfully, it was over soon, and Eren put on the new gauze before fastening it. “And done. You okay?”

“Mm-hm,” Marco quietly hummed.

Eren nodded. “I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Marco looked at him. “N-no, don’t apologize, you were just trying to help.”

“But I don’t want to hurt you,” Eren protested.

“… Some things just can’t be helped.” Marco fidgeted with his hands for a moment, then started rubbing them together when he realized they were cold. He then remembered Eren’s hand massage that he gave him before. “… Uh, Eren… can I… ask if uh… maybe…” He held his hands out for him, “You could help them warm up?”

Eren’s green eyes blinked before he quickly nodded. “Y-yeah! Sure!” Marco felt Eren’s slightly smaller hands clasp his left one and began rubbing over it carefully. It was just seconds before Marco felt it warm up significantly. “Feel okay?”

“Mmm. Thank you. Feels better now…” A question popped into his head then. “Eren… are you usually this warm?”

The shorter boy nodded. “You can probably guess the cause.”

“Hmm… guess your parents must have panicked when you were little. It’s usually dangerous for babies to be this warm,” Marco commented.

As soon as those words left his mouth, he saw Eren’s face fall. “No. My body temperature used to be normal.”

“… What?”

Eren didn’t answer for a moment, slowing down his hand massage. “My average body temperature increased after my first transformation,” he said. “I actually was prone to getting cold easily… whenever it was too cold for me to sleep, I would try to get into my parents’ bed.”

“Did they let you sleep with them?”

“Sometimes. But usually my mom would take me back to bed and go to sleep with me, after grabbing a few extra blankets to have with us.”

Marco looked at him with amusement. “Huh… that was nice of her.”

A small smile appeared on Eren’s face. “She was always nice. She would always have these spare treats that she would get out and share with me whenever Dad would spend the night over at the hospital and we’d binge watch whatever we could find online.”

“Did Mikasa ever do it with you guys?”

“Yeah, she did. Took her a while to though. She was still adjusting to new home and stuff.”

“Mmm.”

Eren finished with one hand and began massaging the other one. “She also made mozzarella sticks for us. As in, from scratch.”

“Ohh, that explains the baby fat.”

Eren pouted at the baby fat comment. “You’re not letting that one go, are you?”

“Nope,” Marco said while smiling slightly. He had to admit, Eren’s baby fat was rather charming.

“… Just like mom I guess.”

“… Huh?”

Eren blinked. “Oh, well, uh… she would every now and then poke fun at me… but after a while, I didn’t really mind. When she was doing it I mean.”

“Really?”

Eren nodded. “… She… would get depressed easily though… so I guess it was mostly because it was when she was happy I was okay with it…”

“She… had depression?”

Eren stopped running his fingers over Marco’s hand for a moment. “… More like anxiety.” Eren became quiet after saying that as he resumed massaging, only speaking when he stopped moving his thumb over the back of Marco’s hand. “Is that enough?”

“Uh, yes.”

After a moment, Eren jumped off the bed and went over to Marco’s box of things, pulling out a new shirt. “Uh, here.” He came back over to Marco, holding the shirt out for him to take.

“Thank you.” Marco took the shirt and was about to put it on when he realized that he hadn’t taken a bath in two days. “Uh… can you bring my wheelchair over? I think I should go take a bath.”

“Oh, okay! Good thing the bandages are water proof.” Eren rushed to the wheelchair and brought it over, while grabbing some more of Marco’s clothes. “Let me help you get on.” He helped Marco stand up and held his hand as he sat down. “Uh, just a word of advice for the tub – don’t touch the black bottles. They’re Levi’s and he freaks out when someone else uses his body wash.”

“… Okay…” Marco wheeled himself out of the room and into the bathroom, being sure to lock the door as soon as he was in. He moved closer to the tub and started the water, listening to the faucet squeak as it turned.

When the tub was finally full enough, Marco removed his shorts and briefs he was wearing and gently got up. Hissing slightly at the pain while lifting himself up, he clasped his hands around the tub’s rim before stepping in and then let himself sink down. He let the warm water splash around as he finally lied back against the edge. It felt good to finally take a bath.

The bathroom was nowhere near as lavish as the ones in Rose and the Interior. It was more like the one back at the house he and his mom used to live in. Well, it was actually bigger.

Marco started massaging his upper arms before moving his hands down his arm, tracing his fingers over the spot Eren had healed.

Marco was still having trouble believing every single bit of this was related to the nuclear war several years ago. He was always taught that the government was issuing a bombing overseas when the plane carrying the weapons accidentally crashed, detonating them. The bombs landed in water though, lessening the casualties from the explosion itself. Although the earth’s climates were affected, along with the sea level. He remembered his mom telling him about her parents wedding that happened in a place that was became apparently a beach.

_We can regrow organs and body parts. We can donate almost any organs or tissues we want, and we will be fine._

Marco traced his fingers on the tub’s edge when he recalled what Eren said. That must have made things easier for him when he confronted Jean. He probably didn't have to worry about the consequences. Unlike him.

Instead, he had to worry about what Jean would do to him…

And now here he was, needing a wheelchair and had bandages all over.

“… If I was a shifter… would I be in this situation?”

There was no answer to his question, leaving him in silence as he was left to ponder the possibilities.

-

Reiner finished washing off Rogue’s paws just as there was a knock at the door. Looking up, he saw Ymir opening it up, moving aside as Teddy dashed in. “Guess you’re done walking the dogs?”

“Yep. Teddy was getting fidgety when I woke up.”

“Okay, help me set up the table. Breakfast is just about done.”

Reiner nodded and walked inside with Rogue and Flower in tow. He saw Levi standing over the stove while finishing with the last pancake… of what was possibly a hundred or more. “… He’s planning on making us jog judging by the number of pancakes,” he concluded as he surveyed the huge stacks next to the short man.

“Probably,” Ymir whispered back as she grabbed some napkins and set them down on the table. Krista then appeared with the juice bottle and set it down. “That’s not grape juice, is it?” Ymir pointed at the bottle with suspicion. She hated grapes with a passion.

“No, it’s cranberry juice,” Krista said while holding it up for the other girl to see.

“I swear, if Armin managed to switch the juice inside again, I’m kicking his scrawny ass to the moon… or better, yet I’ll keep him in my mouth for two hours.”

“You’re not having anyone in your mouth,” Levi said in monotone from the kitchen.

Reiner glanced at Ymir as she frowned and sat down. “Just wanna suck the joy out of everything.”

“Yes. Now help me put the food at the table.”

The freckled girl groaned as she got up and headed over to him.

Reiner’s attention shifted as he felt one of the dogs rub against him. Looking down, he saw Flower looking up at him. “What? Don’t worry, you guys can have some.” He watched as she then went to lay down under the sun outside. Shaking his head, he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Pulling it out, he saw Bert’s number on his phone.

He quickly headed back outside, closing the door before answering the phone. “Bert?”

“Hey.” His voice was more strained than normal. “Thought I’d give you a call before we get there.”

“Good to hear you,” Reiner replied. “How’s Annie?”

“… Asleep. She stayed up all night trying to do push ups, saying she has to get back in shape.” His voice sounded more distant when he said that.

“…What about you?”

There was no answer. He must be still be trying to accept the news about Marco.

“We got breakfast over here, so if you guys are hungry, don’t worry about making any pitstops.”

“… Alright, thanks.” There was some background noise on Bert’s end. “Gotta hang up, we’re entering the tunnel.”

“Got it. See you soon. Love you.”

“Thanks, love you too.” There was a click and the call ended.

Reiner huffed and ran his hand through his hair. “Oh boy… hope he doesn’t accidentally take this out on Marco.” There was no denying it – Bert did have the worst reactions to plans going awry. It was his original idea three years ago to go to where Annie met Jean and kill him with his own hands and tried to leave the fort to go find him. Reiner caught him as he was about to though.

Reiner agreed with Bert that Jean should be killed for what he did, but they needed to make sure they weren’t caught. But Bertholdt was worried that if they waited, they would never get the chance. The whole argument got so bad that Bertholdt began physically fighting Reiner, and ended up causing him to shift. As soon as Bertholdt realized what he did, he stopped fighting and ran off. Reiner later found Bert by the edge of the road, having a panic attack, and helped him get back to the fort.

When Reiner tried to locate Jean for Bert, he couldn’t find him. It was like he never existed… until recently.

Walking back inside, he saw Mikasa heading to the hallway. “Where are you going?”

“There needs to be two people to carry the wheelchair, right? So I’m going to see if Marco’s ready to come down.”

“Want me to help? Not sure if Eren is a suitable candidate for carrier number two.”

“Okay.”

As Reiner followed her up the stairs, he heard a set of whining behind him. Teddy was trying to climb up the stairs again, but with no luck. “Here you go buddy,” Reiner said as he went down and picked up the tiny dog and helped him reach the top. As soon as he made it, Teddy jumped out of his arms and began looking for Marco.

Mikasa and Reiner watched as Teddy approached the bathroom door and started pawing it, letting out a few whines. “Marco?” Mikasa went up to the door and knocked on it. “Are you in there?”

“Oh, y-yeah, just taking a bath! I’m almost done though!”

“Alright, breakfast is almost ready, so I just want to be ready to help carry you down, alright?” There was no answer, making the girl frown. “Marco?”

“… Okay.” The boy’s voice was more distant there.

Mikasa looked at Reiner before biting her lower lip and looking back at the bathroom door. “We’ll be waiting, so just holler when your ready, alright?”

“Alright.”

Reiner slowly went to the bedroom, seeing Eren digging through the closet while tossing out clothing. Specifically Reiner’s clothes. “What. Are. You. Doing.”

“Looking for my clothes,” Eren said without looking at him.

Before Reiner could scold him, Teddy ran into the room and dove into the closet and came out, playing with some of Eren’s socks. And by playing, Reiner meant ripping apart.

Eren glared at the puppy. “… I’m going to send him to obedience class.”

Teddy heard that and dashed under the bed with the socks in his mouth, to which the boy just growled at and went back to the closet before finally pulling a clean shirt out along with a set of pants. He quickly changed into them before heading to the door. Just as Teddy ran back out from under the bed and bit the end of his pant leg.

“Rrrr.” Eren bent down and grabbed Teddy and held him up to his face. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but I am seriously considering eating you.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Reiner warned.

Before the debate got any further, the bathroom door opened, and Marco wheeled himself into the hallway. Teddy squirmed from Eren’s hold and went up to Marco. “Hi Teddy,” Marco greeted, trying to bend down to pet him, but stopped. “Oww…”

“Here, we can let him sit on you when we get downstairs,” Mikasa said as she picked Teddy up and gave him back to Eren. “Ready?”

Marco gave a small nod. Reiner then came over and stood behind him while Mikasa got the front. Taking Marco down was relatively easy for them, with Eren following behind as Teddy stared down at the steps nervously.

Reiner tried getting him and Rogue to climb down stairs, but neither one would dare do it, especially when Teddy ended up slipping down a few steps. So Reiner had to carry both of them down.

Once they reached the bottom, Teddy squirmed towards Marco, prompting Eren to set him down. “Hey there,” Marco said as he held Teddy close, which earned him a few licks and a fateful of fluff as Teddy snuggled against him, earning a small laugh. “You silly puppy.” Marco set Teddy down to his lap and began wheeling away to the dining room.

As he was leaving, Teddy peaked over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at Eren.

“I’m gonna lock him outside.”

-

While sitting down at the table, Eren looked over at Marco, watching as the boy set Teddy down on the floor. “It’s just going to be for a little while,’ Marco told the tiny dog as his paws touched the floor. Teddy looked up and whined slightly. “I promise to stay with you for the rest of the day,” Marco assured him.

Rogue then suddenly barreled into Teddy, making him yelp before a chase ensued between the two puppies, both just barely missing Levi as he carried in a plate with some fruit on.

“They better not spread dirt around the place,” he said firmly.

Eren saw Marco fidget nervously before he finally reached for his fork and began eating his pancakes.

“Ymir, if you put anymore syrup on your pancakes, you’ll get sick,” Krista scolded while pointing to her girlfriend, who was next to Marco.

“I like maple syrup,” the freckled girl protested as she added what was probably half a cup.

After she finally stopped, she looked at Marco. “Here. There’s still some left,” Ymir said as she tilted the syrup jug towards him towards him.

Marco didn’t say anything for a moment. “Oh. Th-thank you.” After he took it from her, he poured on a small amount of syrup over his pancakes.

“Seriously though, I’m surprised you can eat pancakes without syrup,” she admitted. “I think if I ever were to try, I would die from the shock.”

“… I’m pretty used to eating without syrup,” he said quietly. Eren then noticed that he was avoiding eye contact with her, quickly putting down the syrup. Then he saw him swiping away some of the syrup with his knife.

“Ow!”

Everyone turned their heads to face Reiner, to see Pumpkin climbing up his arm and onto the table, sniffing at the food on his plate before suddenly seizing part of his sausage in her small mouth and began dragging the piece off. Leaving a trail of sausage grease on the table. Before sitting right in front of Levi and began eating it.

“This things has balls,” Levi stated while glaring at her. As he reached out to take her off the table, Pumpkin batted away his finger with her tiny claws and hissed, seizing her sausage again and went over to Marco, dropping the sausage into his lap and jumped down. While Levi began cleaning the table. “I don't want to see her on here ever again.”

Eren watched as Marco raised his hand to pet the cat as she ate, tracing his fingers lightly over her folded ears. “Hey there, you must be pretty hungry. Did you finish the food in the bowl?”

“ _Cough,_ SASHA, _cough_ ,” Ymir muttered into her elbow while looking down at the cat.

Pumpkin finished her piece of the sausage before looking up at Marco and chirping at him. Marco, being the nice person he was, took a piece of his sausage and gave it to her. “Here you go.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Eren raised an eyebrow as the cat took the sausage into her mouth and devoured it.

“Well, I don’t want to leave her hungry,” Marco argued.

“… Alright, just be sure to eat more of your own food then,” he replied. Marco had most of his food lying on his plate untouched, aside from what he was giving to Pumpkin.

“… Okay.”

After several more minutes, there was a knock at the door, getting everyone’s attention. “Sounds like Berthodlt and Annie are here,” Reiner said as he stood up from his chair and went to the door, Levi following.

Eren looked over at Marco, who looked in the direction Reiner and Levi went in with a nervous expression. “What’s wrong?” Eren leaned in as he asked.

“N-nothing,” the freckled boy insisted, although it seemed like he was lying.

But before Eren had a chance to press on, the house was suddenly filled with the sound of a familiar voice.

“EEEERREEEEEEEN!”

As soon as he heard his name being called, Eren looked at the hallway in alarm. Milliseconds after he did, Isabel appeared. “HEEEYYY!” She came charging over, and then wrapped her arms around his neck, causing him to gag. “How’s my favorite little brother?”

“Will you please stop calling me that?” Eren tried to pull away from her, but this was Isabel. Mega hugger.

“Awwww, you little sourpuss,” she teased before she took notice of Marco next to them. “Oh, is this Marco?”

“Yeah,” Eren strained, still trying to get away.

“Oh!” She then released him, holding her hand out for Marco to shake. “Hi, I’m Isabel, Levi’s sister.”

“H-hello,” Marco stuttered, taken aback as he accepted the offered hand, to which Pumpkin pounced at, missing and then clinging to Isabel’s clothes. “Oh! S-sorry!”

“Awwwww,” Isabel gushed as she ignored Marco’s apology, “A kitty!” She picked the cat of her pants and held her up against her face. “What’s her name?” That was the last thing she got to say before Pumpkin placed her paw over her mouth, getting her to stop talking.

“…Pumpkin.”

Pumpkin gave her familiar chirp to Isabel, who then lifted her to face her. “Awww.” She tried to kiss the kitten’s nose, but once again the cat used her small paw to hold her back.

“Isabel?”

Eren blinked when he heard Farlan’s voice, then realized that he shouldn’t be surprised that he was here too. Actually, that was a bit of a relief.

Isabel covered Pumpkin’s ears before shouting back, “Yeah bro?”

“Help me carry the stuff in.”

“Just a sec!” To his annoyance, Isabel set Pumpkin down on Eren’s head before running off.

Eren rolled his eyes in annoyance as Pumpkin started kneading the top of his head. “What am I to you?” There was a small squeak from the cat in response. “I’ll take that as not a person.”

As the kitten remained there, Eren saw Reiner and Bert enter the room, the taller of the two looking more solemn. Eren saw Bertholdt’s eyes fall on Marco, who saw and habitually bit his lower lip.

“… Hi Marco.”

“Good morning,” Marco greeted. “It’s… good to see you again.”

Bert nodded, just before Rogue ran up to him, rubbing herself against his legs, making whimpering sound as she began bouncing up and down. He picked her up, and like Teddy, Rogue pressed herself against his face. “Oof, hey Rogue.”

“She missed you,” Reiner told him as the puppy continued nuzzling him, hiding her face against his neck.

“Mmm.” He was petting her as he answered.

“So you want to eat now, or after Annie gets in?”

“… When she gets in.”

“Uh,” Eren started, “So she’s… outside?”

“Yeah, she took a nap on the way here, just woke up,” Bertholdt said.

Before he could ask anything else, he felt Pumpkin slip off his head, saving herself by clinging to his ear… again. “OW!” He pried her off, feeling her biting his hands instead as he held her. “Okay, who wants to take her now?”

“Me,” Mikasa said as she got up and took the cat from him, letting Pumpkin play with her red scarf. She went up to the couple and asked, “Is there anything you guys need to bring in?”

“No, Farlan got most of it,” Bertholdt stated as he cocked his head to the side so he could say something as Rogue rubbed herself against his face again.

_Do all puppies do that?_

Eren then saw Pumpkin bat her tiny paw at Rogue’s tail as it whipped past her, getting the puppy to yelp and cuddle against Bertholdt some more for protection. “Oh, Pumpkin, don’t be mean to your sister.” Reiner poked the kitten with his large finger, getting her to bat at it.

_Oh great, children talk again._

Taking a note to brace himself for the disgusting mommy and daddy shit later, Eren heard a set of footsteps come towards the dining room, watching as Reiner and Bertholdt turned their heads to see who was coming. Bertholdt went down the hallway and disappeared from sight.

“How you feeling?”

“… Mostly tired. Where’s the dining room?”

“This way.”

Eren’s eyebrows scrunched up. He didn’t recognize that voice. Then he watched as someone else entered the room with the two taller boys, with crutches.

-

Marco looked at the person who just entered the room, using crutches, carefully studying at her features.

Short. Blond. Hair held back in a bun.

Annie Leonhart.

It had to be her.

She looked over at the table, blue eyes falling right onto Marco, who swallowed nervously. But before he had a chance go react in another way, he heard Teddy bark, and saw him run up to Annie. He watched as Teddy pawed her leg gently while whimpering, getting the girl to look down at him, then slightly lowered herself so that she could pet him. Teddy gave her hand a few licks and rubbed his head against it.

“He’s cute,” she said quietly. “Another stray you adopted Reiner?”

“Uh, technically… he’s closer to Marco,” Reiner stated.

Annie then stood back up and approached him. “Hi. I’m Annie. You must be Marco.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.” He studied her face carefully, seeing dark circles under her eyes. He then tried to think of what to say. “Uh, so you’re Bertholdt’s sister, right?”

She nodded. “So, what’s his name?” She looked back at Teddy, who had followed her up to Marco.

“Teddy.” Hearing his name, the puppy looked at Marco and barked, pawing at him again as he stood on his hind legs. Marco managed to scratch him behind his ear this time, just before Teddy lost balance and fell backwards, barely missing Annie. “Oops, you okay there?” Teddy flipped over before barking again.

“He bounces back pretty fast,” Annie commented. She then looked over at Eren, who Marco realized was watching them. “Are you… Armin?”

There was a snicker from Ymir as Eren’s face drained of color. “No. I’m Eren. He’s Armin.” He pointed at the actual Armin when he said that, who had some residue syrup on his face.

“Oh. The loud one?”

“Wh-REINER?!” The boy was bright red as he looked at the larger blond, who merely shrugged at the accusation.

“Just wanted to give her a heads up,” he stated plainly.

“And he wasn’t wrong,” Ymir commented as she looked over at Annie. “How bad was the car ride?”

“Better than the joy-ride four years ago you did,” Annie said while shrugging.

Marco glanced over at Ymir in confusion.

_Joy ride?_

 Annie then pulled out one of the unoccupied chairs before carefully sitting down, Bertholdt assisting her. “How many pancakes do you want?”

“Three.” Bertholdt quickly fixed her a plate with one hand, as he was still holding Rogue, and set it down in front of her. “Where’s the syrup?”

Marco immediately handed her the jug to her, part of him glad to get it away from him. It wasn’t that he hated syrup… it’s just that… for some reason… it was making him feel sick.

“Thank you,” Annie said as she pored some of the syrup on her stack of pancakes.

There was a tiny chirp from Pumpkin, making Marco notice Mikasa came back to the table, sitting on the opposite side of the table, where Pumpkin managed to jump back onto the top, crawling up to Annie. She then tried to take the closest pancake to her from her plate.

In an effort to get her to stop stealing food, Marco took a piece of his sausage and showed it to her again. “Pumpkin, come here.” The tiny kitten waddled over to him and took the sausage, devouring it on the spot.

“… Why is there a cat here?” Annie raised an eyebrow as she watched Pumpkin gobble down the sausage before looking at Bertholdt, who barely got to look over Rogue’s fur as she was once again nuzzling him.

“That’s Pumpkin,” he barely answered, “She-”

“Is our baby,” Reiner finished, getting the taller boy to glare at him.

Annie looked back at Pumpkin, who was halfway done with the sausage. “How old is she?”

“A few weeks,” Reiner told her. “We found her around the same time with Teddy.”

“Any other pets here I should know about?”

“Yeah, Flower. She’s outside though.”

Annie nodded and began eating.

Marco fidgeted with his fork as he remained quiet for the rest of breakfast.

-

“Is that everything?” Levi was sorting through the bags that Farlan was taking out of the car.

“Should be,” Farlan replied.

“Levi, why didn’t you tell me there was a kitty?” Isabel looked over her shoulder as she was going up the stairs with her stuff.

“Didn’t see the point.”

“It’s a kitty cat! How is it not important?!”

Levi sighed, not wanting to start quarreling. “You guys heard anything from Erwin before you left?”

“Nope,” Isabel said as she shook her head. “Oh! But I saw Hanji! They looked pretty upset though…”

That made sense, Hanji usually participated with interrogations. And given the recent mess, wouldn’t surprise him at all if Hanji ends up riping the guy’s balls off.

As Isabel disappeared up the stairs, Levi turned is attention to Farlan. “Farlan… before you go to the dining room… I just want to make sure you have a heads up.”

“On what?”

“… The asshole who beat up Marco? I looked up the latest picture of him. And as much as it pains me to say this… you two look similar, mostly because of face shape and hair. And given the current situation, I’m not sure how the kid is going to handle it…”

“Shit,” Farlan cursed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”

Levi rubbed his forehead. “No… I need you to lend me a hand here, I’m worried about Eren. You two get along well enough.”

Farlan glanced away for a moment before saying, “Alright.”

He lead Farlan to the dining room, seeing that half of the people there were done… Then he spotted Pumpkin on the table again, staring at Annie while meowing.

“I thought I said I don’t want to see her on the table ever again,” he stated, looking at Reiner, who was right next to Annie.

“Ah, well, cut her a little slack, she’s just a kitten.”

Levi growled at the excuse before Farlan placed his hand on his shoulder. “You can’t control cats Levi,” he stated plainly. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”

As if agreeing, the kitten let out a loud meow.

“Hmm…” His eyes fell on Marco, who was starting to wheel away from the table, Teddy right next to him, letting out a few yelps as he tried to get up on Marco’s lap. He watched as Eren came over and helped Marco pick the mutt up.

“You feeling alright, Bodt?”

Marco looked at him and nodded. “Oh, yes sir.” Marco glanced at the person behind Levi, and stopped, gripping his hand on the wheel tightly, eyes widening. Shit, just what Levi was dreading.

“Marco?” Eren leaned close to him. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,” Marco quickly answered, and tried to wheel himself backwards. “Uh… can you help me go outside? I just need some fresh air.”

“Alright!” Eren went with Marco to the back door, although the moment the brunette was out, he froze. “Uh, hey Flower. Don’t mind us…” Levi watched as Eren slowly helped Marco down the stairs from the porch.

The next person to talk out loud was Annie. “Can someone fill me in on what that was about? Outside, with Flower?”

“He offended her with paint a year ago,” Ymir said plainly, getting an odd stare from the blond girl.

Having enough, Levi headed for the stairs, Farlan once again trailing him. On the second floor, he found Isabel unfurling what was probably 7 sleeping bags. “I know you’re obsessed with sleeping bags Isabel, but don’t you think this is too much?”

“Naaah, I’m sure someone might ask for one later on,” she stated as she stood up and beamed. “Like the kitty.”

Both Levi and Farlan groaned at her statement, knowing that she would let the cat have her own sleeping bag.

“… Is he going to be okay?”

Levi raised an eyebrow at Isabel’s question, noting the lowered and less enthusiastic voice. “Who are you referring to?”

She rubbed her arms. “That kid. Marco. He was more bruised up than what I expected.”

Levi sighed. “Well, Eren’s keeping an eye on him, and he’s being careful not to screw up. Although… I need to talk to him later about something.”

“About what?”

Levi didn’t answer her.

“Well, I’m going to try talking to them. Where are they?”

“They went on a walk.”

-

Marco looked down as Teddy rolled around in his lap, stopping a few times to look up directly at him with his head tilted. He smiled before tickling the puppy’s belly, getting Teddy’s tail to wag.

“You doing okay?”

He looked up at Eren, who was at his side. “Yeah, I’m good.” He fidgeted with his fingernails for a while, debating if he should ask Eren something.“… Eren… who was that person who Levi was with?”

“That was Farlan. They grew up together, with Isabel, so they’re like family.”

“Oh…” He was… scared by how much Farlan reminded him of Jean. His sharp features and hair, both the color and the style it was cut, they were almost identical

He looked around the surroundings again, admiring it. It was different from the woods he met Eren in. The trees weren’t as tall, and there were a larger variety of them. But there were a few flowers and berry bushes as well. “Is everything here native, or was it all planted?”

“I think they are plants that were originally native, but they were planted in cuz the area was originally for lumber.”

“How far is the nearest town?”

“Uh… two hours? Give or take? Well… 45 minutes if the driver is Reiner.”

Marco cringed. “Uh… has he ever been in any accidents?”

“Miraculously, no,” Eren told him. “Although that might have something to do with the fact that the only time he slows down is when he’s driving with dogs… which is 75% of the time.”

Marco heard a small growl from Teddy, getting him to look back at him, seeing a scowling expression. “Mm? What is it?” Teddy let out a small grunt. “What?”

“I guess he has something else to say about Reiner’s driving,” Eren muttered, getting a grouchy whine and nod from the puppy in agreement.

Marco bit the left side of his upper lip, not sure what to say. Instead, he petted Teddy’s ear, trying to think of a new conversation. “Uh… is there anything you do in particular while you guys are up here?”

“Besides tests? Well, there’s a lake that we sometimes swim in. Assuming the fish that actually attack you aren’t around.”

Marco blinked in confusion and looked at Eren. “Huh?”

“Er, there’s a group of fish with really sharp teeth that swim up the river to the lake and stay for a while before continuing to their spawning grounds, and they’re really, _really_ , not the kind you want to find yourself with. And that’s all I’m going to say about them.”

“… Are they… in the lake now?”

“What? Oh, thankfully no. If you want to go sometime, I can take you,” Eren offered.

Marco twiddled his fingers together. “Maybe, that would be nice. Is there anything else?”

“Uh… Ymir tends to binge watch stuff while we’re up here, so you might find yourself dragged into that. And Reiner does have a habit of bringing home any kind of stray animal.”

“Like cats and dogs?”

“More like baby foxes, deers, rabbits, and anything else he can get.”

“Wait, wait,” Marco interrupted, “Rabbits?”

“Yeah, they’re somewhere in here. Why? Are you allergic?”

Marco waved his hands in alarm. “Oh, no! Not at all!” He raised one hand to scratch his cheek as he continued. “I actually love rabbits.”

Raising an eyebrow with curiosity, Eren leaned closer. “Really?”

“Yeah, they’re my favorite.”

Immediately when he said that, Marco heard Teddy whimper and whine before rubbing himself against his face. “Oof, Teddy, it’s ok, I still love you,” Marco assured him.

“I think he’s going to be sticking around with you for a while just to be sure,” Eren said in a slightly concerned tone.

“EREEEEEEN!”

Both Marco and Eren blinked when they heard that familiar voice. Before Marco knew it, a blur ran into Eren and wrapped their arms around his neck. A shocked yelp came from Teddy, who was scared from what just happened.

Marco then realized it was Isabel, who waved at him. “Hey, heard you guys were going on a walk, so I figured I’d tag along!”

“Not necessary,” Eren grunted as he tried to pull away.

“Aw come one, it’s been a while since we’ve been together!” Isabel pulled him into a tighter hug. “Pretty please?”

Eren sighed and looked at Marco. “Is it okay with you Marco?”

Marco nodded. “Perfectly fine.”

“Yay!” Isabel beamed before pointing at Teddy. “Ohh, who's he?”

“Uh, this is Teddy,” Marco said as the puppy looking at Isabel with wide eyes.

“Awwww, what a cute name! Can I hold him?”

As an answer, Teddy yelped loudly and began letting out little screams as he pressed against Marco. “Oh Teddy, shh shh shh shh,” Marco cooed as he began rocking the puppy like a baby, to which Teddy reciprocated by hiding his face into Marco’s shoulder.

“Oh,” Isabel gasped and put her hands together in glee, “That’s too precious. You two are so close.”

Marco smiled at the comment as Teddy continued snuggling against him. “Thanks…”

“I wanted a puppy when I was smaller, but I never got one,” she said in a slightly disappointed voice. “I babysat some of my neighbor’s dogs, but it's not the same thing.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Marco commented.

She smiled brightly at him. “So, on another subject, Marco, do you have any favorite foods? Oh, favorite shows? Movies?”

“… Uhhh,” Marco strained, his brain drawing a huge blank in fright. He hasn't really watched much lately, so he didn’t have an answer for favorite movie or show. “I… I like chocolate.”

“Ohhh, what kind is your favorite?”

“Milk shakes… and hot chocolate,” Marco admitted. “My mom usually made it for breakfast. For the both of us.”

“Year round?”

“Yeah… she was Colombian, and it was normal for her family to have hot chocolate the whole year. Like coffee.”

“You’re Hispanic? Can you speak Spanish?”

“O-oh, no, I can’t. I know a little, but it’s horrible.”

“Well, if you want, I have a few Spanish textbooks from college I was planning on selling away, but I can lend them to you,” Isabel offered.

Marco’s mind blanked out again before he replied. “Th-thank you. I would like that.”

“No problem! I tried giving them to Eren before, but he has a short attention span when it comes to education.”

The shorter boy glared at her. “HEY!”

Isabel merely shrugged. “I’m not going to lie.” There was a small growl from Eren as he pouted. “Aww, you’re so cute,” she teased as she poked his cheek before looking at Marco again. “Do you have any other favorite foods? Plantains? Levi made us some fried once, and god they were amazing!”

“Y-yeah, they’re pretty good,” Marco agreed, adjusting Teddy in his arms

“I’ll badger him into making some while we’re here, and for Farlan to get some,” Isabel said cheerfully. “Oh! Do you like sushi? Or noodles?”

“They’re okay. I mean, I haven’t had any in a while, but I like them.”

Isabel looked at him horrified and then pulled out her phone, tapping it a few times. “I am writing down a reminder to see that I order a huge sushi platter and noodle special from my favorite restaurant and bring it over. I don’t think I can do it tonight though, but sometime soon. I promise.”

“N-no don’t make it a hassle for yourself,” Marco began.

“It’s not a hassle,” Isabel said. “And I’ve been needing an excuse to make the order anyway, so you’re actually helping me. Oh, wait, would you prefer me to show you the menu before then? They make amazing curry dishes!”

Marco bit his lower lip at that. He did… like spicy foods every now and then… but it was so long since the last time he did have something spicy. And now the temptation was offered to him.

“I… I like curry a lot…”

“Alright, so when we finish our walk, I’ll get my laptop and show you the website!”

Marco nodded, taken back by how… friendly Isabel was towards him. Almost like an over-enthusiastic kid… or puppy.

Speaking of puppy, Teddy was getting rather squirmy, prompting Marco to lower him to the ground. “Here you go.” Teddy stretched a bit before looking at Isabel with wide eyes.

“Aww, don’t be afraid,” she said as she tried to pet him, only to have him walk away at a fast pace, making her laugh. “He’s so cute,” she said before she finally got a hold of him. Teddy froze as he was being held, looking at Marco for help with wide eyes. “Hey Eren, he reminds me of you.”

Now Eren was also giving her a look of horror. “Is everyone going to keep comparing me to the mutt?”

Teddy angrily growled at Eren when he heard the word mutt.

“Aww, he even has that cute angry face~”

“No he doesn’t,” Eren protested, pouting.

Marco looked at his face for a while before looking at Teddy. “You two do share it actually,” he confessed, trying not to laugh.

Eren looked at him, pouting. “Mmmm…”

Isabel snickered at it, just as Teddy was almost free from her. Almost. Because there was suddenly a few hummingbirds that flew by, much to everyone’s surprise. Teddy saw them and hid his face against Isabel’s chest in fear, shaking, clearly still recalling that incident in the Interior’s park. “H-hey, what’s wrong?”

“He’s afraid of hummingbirds, one pecked him on the nose the other day,” Marco explained.

“What the… weird,” Isabel commented. Teddy was still shaking, and Isabel held him to Marco. “Here, I think you should try calming him down.”

Instantly, Teddy was back in Marco’s hold, shaking and whimpering. “Shh, shh, I’m here,” Marco assured him as he cradled the puppy again. Eventually the puppy calmed down a bit, and gave Marco a few licks in thanks. “There, there.”

“So precious,” Isabel gasped again.

Marco smiled at her as he felt his cheeks get warm.

-

Eren was now behind Marco as they were heading back, cautiously looking at Isabel as she was now talking to Marco. He was worried she might accidentally scare Marco some how… That didn’t seem to be the case yet though, much to Eren’s relief. Teddy was still giving Isabel wary glances every now and then though.

When they were back in the back yard, he saw that Reiner, Annie and Bert were sitting together on the porch, with both Rogue and Flower. Rogue barked before she started coming towards them, only to stop at the stairs that stood between her and the ground. She let out a loud yelp, and instantly Flower came over and picked her up, taking her back over to the trio, setting her down and started to groom her.

“Hey,” Reiner greeted them. “Want me to help Eren getting the wheelchair up?”

“Uh, sure, I guess,” Marco shyly answered.

Eren held the back of the wheelchair while Reiner got the front. Getting the chair up on the porch was easy. Avoiding Flower’s menacing glare was another matter for Eren.

That is until Rogue went up to Marco with the toy rope they got the other day, setting it down and barked, prompting a bark from Teddy who then looked at Marco, who carefully lowered him to the second puppy. The two of them instantly started playing tug-a-war with the rope.

“Ohhhh,” Isabel gushed as Rogue started getting the upper hand and dragged Teddy in her direction, getting him to let out a whining growl. “I need to get Levi to say yes in letting me adopt a puppy from that shelter, Reiner. Volunteering isn’t going to be enough for me much longer.”

“I’ll help with the proposal letter,” Reiner said while giving her a thumbs up.

Eren rolled his eyes, when he heard Pumpkin’s meow/chirp. He looked around, not sure where he was hearing it from. Then he saw a ball of black fur sitting on Annie. “Oh, there she is,” Marco commented as he came closer to look at Pumpkin, who was kneading Annie’s shirt.

“She’s really soft,” Annie said. “But she tends to claw everything.”

“Oh, yeah, she does,” Marco agreed.

“Kind of reminds me of a rabbit I had when I was little,” Annie said, to which Marco’s eye brightened, which made Eren feel a little happy.

“You had a rabbit?”

“Yeah, but she died of old age when I was 5. You?”

“I love rabbits… But I never had one. My parents gave me a stuffed toy when I was little, but I lost it a long time ago.”

Annie looked at him in silence before asking, “Did you have any pets?”

“No… actually, Teddy is probably the first one I ever had.”

Teddy, who was still playing with Rogue, let go of the rope for a brief moment and happily barked, and Rogue bolted with the toy, getting Teddy’s attention again, making him pursue the toy, bumping into Eren’s leg as Rogue went inside, leaving behind perfect paw prints of dirt on the clean floor.

“Uh oh,” Isabel said.

Eren was about to go after them when they suddenly came running back out, Teddy now holding the toy. They both ended up bumping into Eren again, making him trip, landing on his face. He heard a brief snicker from Reiner when he did.

“EREN!!” He felt Marco place his hand on his shoulder as he sat back up. “Are you hurt- OH GOD YOUR NOSE IS BLEEDING!”

Eren raised his hand to his face, and indeed, for the fourth time this week, his nose was broken. “Don’t worry,” Eren said as he reached into his pocket, and pulled out the handkerchief he still had with him. “I’ll survive, and it won’t be long.”

“Oh… that’s right. You heal faster.”

Eren saw Marco’s face became slightly melancholy, which was turned away from everyone else, so only Eren could see it. “Uh, yeah…” He then felt the familiar burning, prompting him to take the handkerchief away from his face, seeing steam coming up from the fresh blood. Indeed, the blood was vaporizing this time.

“Eren?”

He looked up at Marco, who’s eyes had widen. “Oh, uh, sometimes the blood vaporizes, if a body part has either sustained enough damage, or has been injured repeatedly in a short timespan,” he explained quickly as he covered his nose up again.

“Don’t attempt to dump water on him,” Isabel told Marco, “I did that when I saw it happen when he burned himself the fifth time with hot oil on his skin. It just made it hurt more for him.”

Eren glared at Isabel at that last part. “Mmmrr…”

Eren finally stood up after a while, and touched his nose to see if it was still broken. Nope, it was finally healed. He then looked at the handkerchief in his hand, and looked at Marco. “Uh, I promise to wash it tonight, sorry for being lazy,” He said awkwardly, knowing there was no escape with an excuse for why there was still dry blood from before.

“N-no don’t apologize,” Marco said, waving his hand.

There was a knock over at the door, and Eren saw Levi was there. “Eren, Reiner, I need to talk with you two.”

Reiner went in first, while Eren looked at Marco before heading in, who smiled slightly. As soon as he was inside, Levi closed the door and motioned them over to the dining room. “What is it Levi?”

“Erwin called. They finished investigating Marco’s old house. It seems like Jean had it all paid for using over-seas account, which we’re already trying to trace.”

Eren frowned. “Why would he have an over-seas account?”

“Because he might have been doing illegal stuff to get the money,” Levi answered. “We checked into the company that he was suppose to work for. It went out of business 2 years ago.”

“What else?” Eren saw Reiner’s brow furrow when he asked.

“Nathan won’t say anything, but we managed to trace his phone data to where he’s been for the last few days. We’re hoping it leads us to Jean and anyone else who’s with them.” He then gave Eren a firm look. “Eren.”

“S-sir?”

“I need to ask you to not spend so much time with Marco by yourself, and see if you can leave him alone every now and then.”

Eren blinked, not sure if he heard right. “Wh-what?”

Even Reiner seemed confused. “Uh, sir, Eren is probably the only person who Marco can believe anything from, why do you want them to spend less time with each other? So he can become more withdrawn?”

“He’s in danger of becoming too dependent on Eren.”

When he heard that, Eren blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

Levi rubbed his forehead before he continued with explaining. “The doctor said that if he becomes too dependent on someone else, his relationship with them and himself is just going to be another unhealthy relationship where he puts the other person above him, which will only further damage his mental health.”

Eren didn’t say anything as Reiner was the next person to talk. “Jesus Christ… Shouldn’t we tell him?”

“No. You don’t know how he’s going to react. With everything he has been through, he is unstable. Just find casual ways to have him interact with people without Eren being around.”

“But-”

“No buts about this Eren.”

He didn’t say anything, not sure how to take any of it.

The porch door opened and closed again. “Levi?” Isabel. “Can I get started on lunch?”

“Fine. The others are still outside?”

“Yep!”

“Alright.” Levi finally walked away, probably to do some cleaning. Reiner then left, saying he was going to check on the others in the TV room.

Within four minutes though, Eren heard her yelp. “Eren? Can you lend me some spit?”

Eren quickly went to the kitchen, seeing that Isabel had accidentally cut herself while cutting something. It wasn’t terribly deep, but it definitely was bleeding. “Just a sec,” he told her as he dabbed a bit on his fingertip and pressed it against the cut, making it quick just incase Levi decided to pop in.

“Oh, thanks man,” she said. “Good thing Levi’s not in the room, or he would be mad that I cut myself.”

“Really.”

Both Isabel and Eren went pale when they heard Levi’s voice. They turned their heads to see Levi standing at the side, Farlan right next to him as he was glancing away from the scene of the crime. “Fuck,” Isabel said.

Thankfully for her, he ignored her and glared at Eren. “Eren, what did I say about giving away spit?”

“That it’s against the rules unless you give the okay. But I’m just giving it to Isabel!”

“You mean you just gave it to Isabel just now.” He then held up something to Eren’s face. It was the paper cup he had his spit in earlier. That he used with Marco. “Found this in the room you slept in. And there’s still some spit in here.” Levi crossed his arms. “Did you give some to Marco?”

“… Yes.”

“Without telling me.”

“I didn’t want him to hurt as much?”

“How much did you give him?”

“Uh, a tablespoon? I think?”

“Which injuries?”

“The ones on his left arm,” Eren told him, looking away.”

Levi’s heated glare didn’t leave though. “Did you tell him anything?”

“… I… did tell him about shifters being able to regrow body parts and organ, and that we’re donors, as long as the tissue has been treated,” Eren confessed.

Levi’s eyes widened, clearly surprised that Eren decided to tell Marco so much. “Eren, was that all?”

“Yes. I didn’t tell him what happens when we have too much to regenerate in a short time span.”

“Good. This isn’t the time for me to be dealing with going back to the fort and filling out paperwork because you told a civilian,” Levi stated. “Until we can leave the safe house, do not tell him anything related to the matter.”

Knowing there was no way around it, Eren nodded. Levi left again, tossing the cup into the trashcan. As soon as he was gone, both Isabel and Farlan looked at him, both amused. “Ohhhhhh, you got in trouble~” they both said together.

Eren groaned before heading to the TV room. Hopefully the others had something to buffer the current embarrassment.

-

Marco watched as Rogue and Teddy tumbled into Flower as they were playing. “Oh! You okay there, Teddy?” The puppies merely stood back up resuming their playing on Flower, who groaned.

He heard a slight laugh, making him look to see Annie covering her mouth. Marco looked over at Bertholdt, who was looking at Annie with his hands folded. He felt himself become tense, much more than earlier when he was with Eren, and Isabel went inside after she said she was going to get started on lunch. What did Bertholdt think of him now? And what about Annie?

He tried to think about something else in an effort to calm down, but nothing was working. As the dread in him was growing, he felt his stomach churn, followed by the urge to throw up. “Urk!” He covered his mouth, trying to will the bile to go back down.

_Please no! Not here! Not in front of them!_

He heard someone running, but didn’t pay much attention to it, as he was more worried about accidentally throwing up in front of people.

“Here!”

He saw that a paper bag was being offered to him, which he quickly took and opened his mouth, and his gag reflex took over. Marco shut his eyes as he vomited, not wanting to see it.

Marco wasn’t sure how long it lasted, but when he was done, the paper bag felt heavier than he expected it would be.

_Well that was a waste of a perfectly good meal…_

“You need another bag?”

He blinked and then realized Annie was right next to him, leaning on her crutches while holding out several paper bags out for him.

Marco shook his head, using the paper bag to get whatever was on his mouth. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he took the bag away from his face.

Annie took the bag from him and looked at Bertholdt. “Hey, can you go throw this away for him?”

“Fine.” The tall boy came and took the bag from her, giving Marco a slight glance before walking away.

Marco heard Pumpkin cry out, seeing that Annie had left her where she was sitting a while ago. Annie went over to get her, but came back over to Marco, sitting in the chair that was closest to him.

“… So… You’re him. Marco.”

“Y-yes?”

“… Jean told me about you several times.”

Marco felt a lump in his throat at the mention of his name. “Please, I don’t want to talk or hear anything about him, not right now,” he pleaded. He didn’t want to think about Jean. And he didn’t want to hear anything that he to told Annie about him.

Annie was silent before saying, “Alright, I won’t.”

He nodded in gratitude, just before feeling something tapping the wheelchair. Looking to the side, he saw both Teddy and Rogue standing on their hind legs, bracing their front paws against the wheelchair while looking at him. Rogue was the first to jump up, landing on the arm of the wheelchair before carefully lowering herself onto Marco’s lap, followed by Teddy. They both moved around carefully, trying to fit into Marco’s lap comfortably, before finally settling down.

“They seem to like you a lot,” Annie commented. “I couldn’t get my cat to sit on me for two months when my parents got her for my little siblings.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. And she refused to let Bert hold her, and would always scratch him whenever he tried to.”

Marco found himself laughing at that, “Oh no, that’s awful. I’m sorry for laughing.”

“It’s okay, Krista laughed when I told her.”

Marco somehow managed to stop giggling, watching Pumpkin knead Annie’s stomach. “Pumpkin hasn’t bit you, has she?”

“Only a little,” She said, as Pumpkin chirped and focused on what Marco guessed was a dust particle in the air.

“Okay, that’s good to hear.”

She nodded, then moved Pumpkin to the side as she leaned down and massaged her legs. “Dammit, they’re still stiff…”

Marco watched as she was massaging them. “Do they hurt?”

“No, just numb… when I woke up, they were numb for a while before hurting… then they went numb again. So Hanji told me to stay on the crutches for now.” She pointed at the crutches at her side as her voice had some distain in her voice. “Bertholdt was worried I would need a wheelchair, but Hanji said I should be good.”

“… Did your parents say anything about it?”

“Yeah, Dad was constantly asking if I would need any medicine for recovery, and Mom was asking about therapy…” there was a bitter laugh from her. “I never thought I would ever have any real need to see one…” Her face fell, and she held her face in her hands.

“… Annie…”

“… We’re both a real mess right now, aren’t we?”

“… Yeah, we are.”

-

Jean slammed the door closed as he got out of the car he got from some cheap dealer, and went straight to the warehouse’s entrance. Unlocking it, he went in and started looking for Hitch.

He found her on one of the computers. “HITCH!”

“Huh, didn’t expect you two to be back so soon,” She began before turning around. As soon as she was looking at him, her face fell. “Where’s Nathan?”

“Cops got him. Jaeger put up a fight, and two of his friends were there.”

“Shit, cops?!”

“We need to move everything, now! Call the rest, tell them that we need to get the cargo out of here ASAP!” He went to the electronic lock that was on the door and punched in the number, opening it up and went in to make sure the door that they used for the trucks was unlocked for the truckers. Several cages were lined up in the room, 3 to 4 people in each one. Someone in the cage he was right next to was bawling loudly. Just like that ungrateful slut of his, that cheating slut that always looked down on him.

“Shut up… shut up… SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!” Not wanting to hear anymore of it, he unlocked the cage and pulled out whomever it was that was making noise. Ignoring what they were saying exactly, Jean began kicking them. “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

 Eventually, the bitch was finally quiet, so he tossed her back in the cage. The others in there scooted away from the body, looking at him in fear. Good.

He slammed the caged closed again and locked it, just when he saw light from the first truck coming. That was faster than expected. And that was a good thing.

As the cages were being loaded, Jean pulled out his phone and checked the pictures with Jaeger again. It still wasn’t making sense… he clearly stabbed the guy well, and he should have bled to death… but in the second picture, it was almost like an amateur did it.

Oh well. That just made his hunting plan for Jaeger and Marco more interesting.

And who knows. Maybe it might be useful somehow when he would punish Marco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DIDN'T THINK I WOULD JUST SUDDENLY WRITE JEAN OUT, DID YOU? BWA HA HA HA HA!! I'm sorry for any pain i have caused.
> 
> Seriously, am i the only one who thinks Farlan looks like Jean? The first time i saw him, i really thought he was Jean with a different haircut.
> 
> As for the titan healing-spit, i saw a cool fan art long before i started that was related to Eren giving someone his spit to heal them, and I have been planning on writing it in later on, after Marco learns Eren is a shifter. I always like leaving you guys hanging. I wanted to link the fan art on here, but I can't find it anywhere... sorry
> 
> Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a comment or a question!  
> PS, if anyone has seen the fan art i mentioned earlier, can you link it to me so i can put the link in here?? thanks ^^


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG!! -gives everyone cake and cookies-  
> Just as a heads up, the total-wrecker tumblr blog won't really be updated any more while the ask blog will be pretty much where I add anything new, or where I will answer any anon who have questions related to any of my stories, so i might change the name later on. If you want to see stuff other than this or anything else I post on here, i have a sfw account (fire-night-sky.tumblr.com) and a nsfw (fire-nsfw.tumblr.com)  
> I will not answer and questions related to the story on those accounts though. Sorry ^^;  
> (psst i participated for jemweek with the sfw blog =3= )
> 
> Sweet babies, if any of you haven't read the new chapter of SNK, DON'T. IT HURTS TOO MUCH QAQ

Marco stared up at the ceiling in the bedroom, Teddy sleeping on his chest. It had been eight days days since he came to the safe house with Eren and the others. He had met with Nifa during that time. She was… nice. She would ask him questions, about his life before with Jean, and right now. There were points where he would just break down during the therapy though… he kept insisting that he didn’t want to talk about Jean, but somehow he found himself doing so.

Annie had also been with Nifa, but she and Marco had different sessions. He started to spend more time with her outside of sessions though. She was much more mellow than most of the others – except when she had a panic attack.

She didn’t have them as frequently as Marco did, but they still happened. Most of the time Bertholdt would be with her during one in an effort to help her, as well as Ymir.

Levi was proving himself to be the strict one of the whole place though. And also the grouchiest when it came to cleanliness, particularly when any of the dogs were the cause of a mess. Usually Teddy was the one at fault.

Now Teddy would tend to hide behind Marco whenever Levi caught him near anything that remotely resembled a mess.

With his recovery from the injuries Jean gave him, he was now able to move around without his wheelchair every now and then – although he needed a pair of crutches, and since Annie had finished healing physically, probably because she was a shifter, she gave him the pair she used before. Reiner and Mikasa made him keep using the wheelchair in certain moments, saying that he would stress his body too much at this point and slow down his recovery process.

His eye still wasn’t fully healed though, so he still had an eye patch. It was a different one from before, since it was simply one to wear like a mask, instead of bandages.

Eren… had been spending less time with him. He was spending more time with Levi, usually talking about something about shifting. It was… in a way… odd. Not having Eren with him.

_Maybe he’s getting tired of me…_

Marco habitually chewed the inside of his mouth. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. He ended up going back to bed this morning after breakfast because he was afraid of bothering Eren when he got up, and the smaller boy was sleeping in longer.

He heard someone knock at the door, making him sit up and causing Teddy to slip off, although the puppy remained asleep. “Marco? It’s Bertholdt,”

Marco grabbed his pillow and held it close before answering. “Uh, yes? Can I help with anything?”

The door opened at the taller boy came in, Rogue in his arms. Bertholdt closed the door as Rogue jumped down and came over to the bed, spotting Teddy. Jumping up, she lunged for his tail and bit, dragging him towards the edge of the bed. Teddy woke with a startled yelp and looked at Rogue, and they began quarrelling on top of each other.

“Sorry, Rogue was starting to teeth some of the furniture downstairs, and Ymir took Flower out for a picnic with the other girls. I figured I better have her play with Teddy rather than have Levi getting mad again.”

“Oh, I see.”

He saw Bertholdt close the door, and began to panic. Bertholdt had been mostly avoiding or ignoring him since he arrived, and any interaction was usually limited to hellos and byes. But the other night… he heard him arguing with Reiner. “Marco.” Bertholdt came over to the bed and sat down. “… How… did you do it?”

Marco blinked with confusion. “How did I do what?”

“Stay with him.”

Marco’s stomach flipped at that. He was asking about Jean. “Bertholdt, I don’t want to talk about him, if that’s alright.”

Looking down briefly, he saw that Bertholdt’s hands clenched together at his answer. “I do.”

Chewing the inside of his mouth, Marco hesitated with his next response. “Please, I’m begging you…”

He felt the mattress shift, and watched as Bertholdt rotated himself to look at him directly, glaring. “Whatever.”

Silence resumed between them before Bertholdt stood up and walked towards the door. “I better go see how the others are doing,” he stated as he went out.

Marco fell back down on the bed and covered his face.

_Does he blame me for what happened to Annie?_

He felt the dogs rub against him for comfort, and he gently held them.

-

Reiner stared at his boyfriend, barely believing what he just admitted. “You told Marco what?!”

“I backed off though!”

“Bert, you should know better than to try forcing him to talk about that shit! WE DISCUSSED IT JUST LAST NIGHT!”

Bert hid his face behind his hands. “But I need to know! Why?! Why the hell did he stay with that bastard?!”

“He was probably scared what would happen if he did try to leave,” Reiner said sternly. “It’s pretty obvious.”

“I was scared leaving my parents too,” Bert hissed.

Crap, he’s bringing his birth parents into this. Never a good sign. “Jean isn’t either one of your parents Bert.”

His boyfriend merely turned away, frowning.

_Oh boy. I better keep an eye on him today._

He sighed, running his hand through his short blond hair. “Bert. I mean it. Don’t bring Jean up. Not until he’s ready. I don’t want to tell Levi.”

Bert didn’t say anything before he turned around and began to walk off. But before he was completely out of the room, he looked back at Reiner. “You probably blame him on some scale as well. Hypocrite.” With that he was gone.

Reiner sat down on the sofa, and let a loud puff. “Today isn’t going to be a good day.”

-

Levi was shifting a few papers Hanji had sent him for Eren and the other shifters, constantly rewriting his signature for the monthly blood donation they would be contributing to.

“Leviiiii~” Isabel whined as she wrapped her arms around his neck, “Can I order food today?”

“We still need to lie low for a while longer. Maybe the day after tomorrow.”

“Ughhhhhh,” She whined while dramatically sliding down to the floor. “You want me to starve~”

“There’s some carrots if you want.”

“I hate carrots.”

“They’re good for you.”

She let out another groan. “You fiiieeeennnnnndddaaaggggghhhhhhh…”

“Why don’t you go and try to find the cat instead? I think it was in the living room last time, and I don’t want it doing its business on the couch pillow again.”

She quickly stood up at that. “Got it!” She bolted off in her usual giddy manner.

“Uh Levi?” Eren, who was in the living room after eating breakfast in the kitchen just a few minutes ago, was peeking his head into the dining room. “Pumpkin isn’t in the living room.”

“I know. She’s here.” Levi looked down at the black ball of fur sitting on his lap, fast asleep. The cat had gotten a lot fatter since she came here, and was getting rounder and rounder with everyday.

Eren raised his eyebrows at him. “So you basically sent Isabel off on a goose chase, then?”

“I have to get this paper work filled out before Erwin gets here, which is going to be in twenty minutes.”

“That’s a little cold.”

Levi simply shrugged at Eren’s statement. “If you want to take the cat so Isabel can play with her instead, go ahead.” He set his pen down and lifted the tiny but fat cat up, who let out a whine as it woke up.

Eren took Pumpkin from him, and was immediately made something for clawing as she reached her tiny claws up and got his sweater. “Thanks.” He began to walk away, but stopped. “… Levi?”

“Mm?”

“Has there been any news on the interrogation?”

“… I will be discussing that with Erwin later. I’ll give you kids and update later.”

He heard Eren sigh before walking away.

“DER’S DA WIDDLE KITTY!”

“Izzy, Izzy don’t!” There was a grunt following Eren’s plea, as well as a small squeak from the cat. Izzy probably jumped on him while taking the cat.

“Can I kiss you? Lemme kiss you.” There was another annoyed cat-sound.

_I’m raising a bunch of toddlers._

There was some more cat sounds and Eren groaning as Levi continued with the papers before Izzy dragged Eren outside, saying something about letting the cat run around. Eventually there was a knock at the door. Levi rose from the chair, heading to the door and opening it up to let Erwin in. “That was earlier than expected.”

“Hanji had me leave early,” Erwin told him as he stepped in. “How is your end holding up?”

“Nifa has been coming on a regular basis, both Bodt and Leonhart are seeing her. That’s the good news.”

“Bad news?”

“The obvious. They’re both having panic attacks, as expected. Leonhart’s aren’t as often as Bodt’s, but she’s definitely having them. I think Nifa gave them something new to help with them.”

“Guess that’s explains why I saw Nifa at the pharmacy three days ago.”

Levi led Erwin to the dining room before sitting down. “How’s the investigation going?”

“Not as smooth as we’d like. The place where his cellphone said he kept going to was a warehouse that was being rented. There were people there, but they had all left by the time we got there. But we found blood there, so I’m guessing there was a fight. They’re searching the place for more forensic evidence.”

“Anything else I should know?”

Erwin rubbed his forehead, “Rent was paid in cash, no questions asked.”

“How much?”

“According to the owner, Nathan paid 3000 bucks a day. For a week max.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “And where did he get this money?”

“Well that’s where things get interesting. According to his finances, he doesn’t have the money in his bank.”

“So he’s probably getting it off of illegal activities as cash payment. Like Jean.”

“Yep.”

“… Who's blood was it at the warehouse?”

Erwin sighed, probably out of exhaustion. “We didn’t find a match in any records, so we can’t say we have it down to a certain ID yet. But so far, Hanji said the blood is from a girl. They’re going to see if they can determine age.”

Levi nodded. “Bodt did say Nathan was with a girl before. Could it be hers?”

“Depends. I put up a search on women named Hitch and with the information Marco gave us,” Erwin started as he pulled up a manila folder. “We might have found her. But if we did, it’s not her blood. Her DNA is registered in the system.”

“For what?”

“Robberies at ages 14 up to 17, alongside underage prostitution.”

Levi stood up. “I’ll ask Bodt to come look at the picture. And I’ll get Leonhart to see if she recognizes her if it is the same person when she gets back from her walk with the other girls.”

“Thanks.”

Making his way up the stairs, he stopped in front of the room Marco was in and knocked. “Bodt? May I come in?”

“Oh! Uh, yes!” He sounded surprised.

Levi opened the door and walked in. Marco was positioning himself up, Rogue and Teddy sitting on the bed with him. “You feeling better? Armin said you weren’t feeling that good this morning so you went back to bed after breakfast.”

Marco cleared his voice. “Uh, yeah. I don’t think I slept enough, but I’m better.”

Levi nodded, even though it sounded like a lie. “Erwin’s back,” he told him. “He thinks he found Hitch, the woman you told us about before.”

Marco’s face paled and his voice wavered as he spoke, “He did?”

“He needs you to confirm whether or not it’s her though. Can you do that?”

After a moment, the freckled boy nodded. “Alright.” He reached for the crutches that were leaning against the bed and stood up, following Levi down the stairs. On the way down, Reiner and Bertholdt were standing at the bottom. As they were passing, Levi noticed Marco and Bertholdt avoided eye contact, and hoped nothing bad happened between them. Conflict between Marco and anyone else was seriously the last thing he needed.

Upon arrival in the dining room, Erwin and Marco exchanged greetings before he was seated. “Marco,” Erwin began, “The first photos I’m going to show you are over 6 years old. If you don’t recognize the woman in them, I’ll show you the one that have been edited to show what she would look like now to compare,” he explained. “Understand?”

“Yes sir,” Marco replied.

“Good.” Erwin opened the envelope he was holding and pulled out three paper sheets and placed them in front of Marco.

As soon as he looked at the photos, he knew.

“It’s her.”

A teenage girl with blond-brown hair was in the pictures, all mug shots. The sign she was holding up read “Hitch Deliss”.

Erwin reached into the envelope again and pulled out the remaining pictures. “How accurate are these current rendition?” He showed it for Marco to look at, showing an older version of the girl in the first three pictures.

“Uh, shorter hair… more weight,” Marco told him, “And she had a tan.”

Erwin wrote down the comments on a notepad he took out. “Thank you. This will be helpful for us.”

Fidgeting in his seat, Marco habitually bit his lips before speaking again. “Is there anything else?”

“We’ll let you know.”

“Alright… I’ll be in the living room then.” Marco stood up and used his crutches to leave.

As soon as he was gone, Levi looked at Erwin straight in the eye. “What do we know about her?”

“She was daughter to a single mother, who eventually got a boyfriend when she was seven. At age ten… the school had the police contacted under suspicion she was being abused.”

“By the boyfriend.”

“Yes. I don’t think I have to say what kind of abuse it was. At 14 years old, she was found robbing a cash register. Police let her off the hook. But then they found her at a bar offering sex to 21 year olds. Robberies and prostitution continued up to age 17. By then the mother had already committed suicide and the boyfriend was in jail for heroin use.”

Levi looked back at the picture. “She was abused and became the abuser in her adult life.”

“Doesn’t happen as often as people tend to think,” Erwin commented.

“What I want to know is what made her change routines at 17 years of age.”

-

Eren watched as Pumpkin batted the tall flowers that were growing in the backyard, trying to drag one of them down to the ground. Izzy, who was sitting next to her, helped push the targeted one closer down so the cat could get it. “Aww,” she gushed as Pumpkin finally got it and started teething it viciously, “You’re so cute~”

“Let’s hear you say that when she’s doing that to a rat or something.”

“Don’t ruin the moment for me,” she told him. “I can still tell Levi you’re the one who opened the door before Reiner could finish cleaning the dogs after the walk four days ago.”

Eren groaned at the statement. The dogs had left mud in the living room, and the mess was halfway cleaned when Levi found it. “Don’t remind me.”

“Hey, how long are the girls going for a walk again?”

“I think they were heading for the lake for a picnic, so maybe… two hours?”

“Okay, cuz Farlan and Armin were heading to the barn to see the owls. Nerds.”

“Think the owls won’t attack them?”

“Not everyone has the bird-attack history like you Eren. Can’t promise anything with frogs on Farlan’s end though.”

“Ah right. Fourth grade classroom pet he let free? Only to have it end up stuck in the teacher’s desk?”

“Great surprise that day for Ms. Claire,” she said with a smile. Pumpkin let out a squeak as she was still playing with the plant. “You should have been there,” Izzy cooed. Pumpkin continued to tussle around until she was tangled up, and let out whiny meows.

Eren rolled his eyes. “Should I get her ‘parents’, or are you satisfied as babysitter?”

“I can save her,” she said. “You can get started on lunch.”

“Fine,” he answered as he began to head back in. Just before going in through the back door, he saw Marco was sitting down over in the living room.

Eren froze. He hadn’t been spending as much time as Marco as he did back in the Interior, and he wasn’t sure if he should greet the boy or not. He was still concerned about what Levi told him about Marco becoming to dependent.

It was starting to remind him more and more of his mother.

After more hesitation, he finally went in. Marco apparently heard the door open and turned his head. “Eren.” He began to reach for the crutches that were lying next to him.

“No, don’t,” Eren began, “It’s okay, you don’t have to get up!” He came over to stop him from moving. “Armin said you didn’t feel well, so don’t worry!”

Marco frowned slightly, his discomfort making itself known.

_Think of something to say!_

“Uhh, you hungry? Izzy asked me to fix lunch. Is there anything in particular you want? Rice? Pasta?”

Marco meekly shrugged. “I think you should ask Levi and Erwin first.”

Eren blinked. “Erwin’s here already?”

“You were expecting him?”

“Levi said he was coming by… I figured it would be much later.”

Marco looked away, his body somehow looking smaller. “Do you know why?”

“Uh… to give Levi an update on what was going on in the investigation was what I assumed, or for paper work on our blood donation that’s coming up.”

“I see.” Marco’s voice wavered as he spoke.

Eren could feel Marco’s insecurity seep off of him like thick black ooze. Hoping there was someway to be there for Marco, even though he wasn’t supposed to get too close to him, Eren sat next to him. “Marco? What’s wrong?”

Marco rubbed his arms nervously. “… They found one of the people who… came with Nathan to the house. Erwin asked me to confirm if it was her.”

Eren hesitated for a while before asking, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“… I dunno. I don’t feel like I’m going to have another panic attack…”

The smaller boy remained at his spot, trying to figure out what to do. “Uh… want me to get Teddy for you? Think that will help right now?”

Marco nodded. “He was in my room with Rogue last I saw him.”

“On it.” Eren quickly went to the stairs and to Marco’s room, where Teddy was teething the bedpost. “Hey, Marco needs you.” Eren quickly grabbed him, noting that he was much heavier than before. Rogue was on the floor, and Eren scooped her up as well.

He quickly returned to the living room, where Marco was sitting, looking a little more cheerful when he saw the dogs. “Here.” He sat down again and handed both dogs over. Teddy immediately noticed how tense Marco was and immediately rubbed himself against him and gave a few licks, and was soon followed by Rogue. A weak smile formed on Marco’s face as the puppies snuggled against him.

He looked up at Eren. “Thank you.”

Eren nodded, feeling his ears suddenly burn for no reason. “So, about lunch… got any ideas you wanna throw out?”

Marco shyly looked at him. “… Maybe rice?”

“Okay.”

As he went to the kitchen and started to get the stuff for lunch, he continuously looked over at Marco, who was slowly falling over, giggling as the dogs pressed themselves against him like their lives depended on it.

When he finished putting the rice in the cooker, he heard Teddy growling. Looking back, he saw Teddy was playing tug-o-war with Rogue… using the couch pillow. The husky managed to take it and ran to the kitchen as he proceeded to try ripping it up. “Hey, hey no,” Eren scolded, trying to keep quiet as possible so Levi wouldn’t hear. He picked Teddy up and brought him back to the couch, trying to take the pillow back.

Teddy let out a grunt as he refused to let go. After a few tugs, he escaped with the pillow before hiding beside Marco. “Teddy no,” Marco scolded. “You can’t rip up the pillow.” A complaining whine came from Teddy as he finally released the pillow. Marco looked at Eren, “Uh, sorry he got this dirty.”

“I was more worried about him destroying it,” Eren told him. “I can put it in the washer. I’ll be right back.” He headed to the laundry room, which was right underneath the stairs.

As he was putting the pillow into the washer, he heard something from upstairs. He frowned and exited the laundry room before heading up the stairs and stopping in front of the room where the noise was from.

“Reiner, I’m not going to apologize!”

Eren eyebrows furrowed with confusion. Reiner and Bert were fighting? That didn’t happen very often.

“Bert, what you did was not okay on any field!”

_Huh?_

“He should just say why though!”

“Tell me something, is that what you would want to hear when your parents left you?”

“That was different from Marco’s situation!”

Eren felt his stomach plummet, and he quietly retreated back down the stairs. Did Bertholdt and Marco have a fight? Since Levi told him to reduce the time he and Marco were alone together, he didn’t know what was going on.

When he entered the area between the kitchen and TV room, he carefully approached the couch, where Marco had found one of the doggie toys and was using it to play with the dogs.

_Should I ask about it?_

Just when he was about to ask, the backdoor opened. Armin and Farlan were back. “Hey,” the short boy greeted.

“Oh, hi,” Marco responded. Eren watched as he spotted Farlan and held Teddy close. He still wasn’t used to the uncanny resemblance entirely between Jean and Farlan, as far as he could tell.

The older male noticed and gave a gentle smile. “Hey. You feeling better?” Marco nodded without saying anything. “That’s good to hear,” Farlan said. “We saw Erwin’s car in the driveway, so I’m guessing he’s here.”

“Yeah, he’s with Levi.”

Farlan nodded, and awkward silence returned to the room.

“Hey!” Everyone that was in the room jumped at Armin’s loud voice. “Uh, Marco, did I ever get to showing you cosplay pictures?”

Marco tilted his head. “No. Uh, I… don’t really know what cosplay is.”

Eren watched as that sentence made Armin gasp in horror before opening the back door open. “IZZY! GET YOUR COMPUTER AND SEWING KIT!”

“WHAT?!”

“MARCO DOESN’T KNOW WHAT COSPLAY IS!”

Eren groaned as the red head came running in with Pumpkin. “WHAT?!” She shoved Pumpkin into Armin’s arms and ran off to the stairs.

All he could do was look at Marco with sympathy before saying, “I hope you don’t mind anime.”

-

Ymir patted her stomach as she and the others were approaching the safe house. “Mmm, that was a good picnic. Thanks Mikasa.”

“No problem,” Mikasa replied as she was walking alongside Annie behind Ymir and Krista. “Didn’t want the nice weather to go to waste.”

The weather had been, for once, consistently pleasant for the last three days, and the girls decided to take the chance to go down to the lake for lunch… brunch… Ymir wasn’t sure what to consider it since it was pretty light and was a while before their actual lunch. Not that she was complaining.

“Too bad we couldn’t take the boys with us,” Krista commented. “We could have taken all the dogs then.” She looked at Flower, who was on her leash.

“Nah, too many hummingbirds. Teddy would have freaked,” Ymir told her.

“What happened that made him afraid of hummingbirds?”

Ymir looked back at Annie when she heard her question. “Several of them attacked him at the interior in a hummingbird sanctuary.”

A slightly amused look appeared on Annie’s face at that. “Huh…”

Ymir internally sighed in relief that Annie was doing okay so far today. She usually was quiet, even before the coma, but lately the tale tell signs of her reaching the edge was when she would get very talkative. More than she was known for.

As they approached the backyard of the safehouse, Ymir heard some noise coming from inside, the side where the living room was. Raising and eyebrow, she approached the door and looked in.

On the floor were Izzy and Armin, both going after Teddy, who had something in his mouth, a piece of cloth. “Ymir! Catch him!”

Shrugging, she seized Teddy as he was about to dart past her, earning a surprised yelp. “So what torture have you devised this time?”

Armin came up to her, grabbed her face with both hand and pulled her close. “Educating Marco about cosplay. Get your photos to contribute.”

Cosplay was all she had to hear to convince her. “ON IT.” After giving Teddy to Krista, she ran to the stairs and grabbed her laptop before storming back downstairs, as Krista and Mikasa were going back out to give Flower a bath. “I GOT IT!”

“SHOW MARCO THE PICTURES FROM THE CONVENTIONS WE WENT TO LAST YEAR.”

She nodded excitedly before sitting next to Marco, who seemed baffled about what was going on. “Hey, so you know what an anime convention is, right?”

“… Not exactly?”

The only reaction Ymir could muster was a gasp of horror.

“But, if you can explain it to me, I would appreciate it,” Marco quickly told her.

“Thank you.” She opened her laptop up and clicked on her photo’s file, but began to explain things before showing him the pictures. “Basically an anime convention is where a bunch of people meet up and sell stuff and hold panels for people to attend to, all of it related to anime. There are different kinds of conventions though. Comic conventions, cartoon conventions, media conventions; the list goes on. Got it?”

“I think so.”

“Okay. So to explain what cosplay is, it’s when you dress up as a character, or a variation of a character. I don’t mean like theatre costume though.”

Marco tilted his head. “You mean like a hobby?”

“Yeah, you got it!” She then opened up one of the sub folders. “So last year, we went to five different conventions during the summer, and each convention we try to have one theme, the maximum being three if there are disagreements on who’s who. For the first one, we chose to go as characters from a manga called “Roses of Versailles”. It’s a super old thing from the 1970’s that basically became a staple of tropes in mangas. There are flaws in it, but it’s still good.” She then handed the laptop over to him. “Flip through the pictures, and feel free to ask questions.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yeah, go ahead!”

Marco did as he was told and began to run his fingers over the mouse pad. “Who made the costumes?”

“I DID!!” Izzy raised her hands high in the air as she was seated on the floor with Armin, who was holding Teddy while trying to slip some make-shift booties onto his paws, and Eren, who was reluctantly holding out Pumpkin for her to measure, as Rogue was taken away by Farlan to play outside. “I took sewing classes from Levi, so I’m in charge of putting the costumes together! Of course Krista, Armin and Ymir pitched in with assembling everything cuz it’s too much for one person, but I’m in charge of deciding the styles of stitching, types of fabric, and so on.”

“They all look very beautiful,” Marco commented.

“Aww, you’re making me blush,” Izzy commented.

Eren let out a groan that interrupted her. “How much longer do I have to hold the cat?”

“Till I finish measuring her.”

Pumpkin clearly didn’t agree with that as she squirmed and escaped Eren’s hold. She made her tiny squeak as she scampered over to the kitchen, where Annie was eating something, a fruit from what Ymir could tell. Annie looked down and set the food aside and picked up the tiny cat. She always had a soft spot for cats.

“Hey Annie,” Ymir called, “You wanna see the pictures?”

The blond girl looked over at her and indifferently came over, sitting on the other side of Marco. “Is that Krista?” She pointed at the screen that was currently showing the person in costume of Marie Antoinette.

“Oh, nah. That’s Armin. Krista was supposed to go, but she caught a pretty bad bug the day before we had to leave for the convention. Armin volunteered to be Rosaline for the photo shoot that was going on.”

“The breasts size was a bit big for me, but thankfully we found silicon to act as support for the costume,” Armin commented as he finally got a booty on one of Teddy’s paws.

Annie and Marco looked at Armin then back at the computer. Marco asked, “Are you two related?”

“Nope.”

They both exchanged a confused look before returning their attention to the screen. Marco tapped on the keyboard. “Wow,” he quietly whispered. “How long did this dress take to make?” He turned the screen to show another the picture taken of Armin as Marie Antoinette in a big dress.

“About two months,” Ymir told him. She remembered clearly because the materials for the dress were everywhere. And she stepped on one of the needles.

“It was a repeat of the Halloween costume, wasn’t it?” Annie looked at her directly when asking.

Ymir looked at her dryly. “Really? You have to bring that up?

Marco turned to look at her. “What Halloween costume?”

“She decided to make her own costume. Princess Leia from that old movie franchise. Star Wars I think? Anyway, she has a horrible habit of leaving sewing supplies lying around, so several times she would step on either the scissors or the needle pin cushion and would get something stuck in her foot.”

Marco’s eyes widened with concern.

_This boy is such a cinnamon roll._

Ymir reached over to tap the keyboard. “Moving on,” she told them as she revealed the photos she had from the next convention. “In this one we were characters from old cartoons. Have you heard of Steven Universe, Adventure Time, or…” She stopped talking as Pumpkin got up from Annie’s lap and went for the keyboard. With one tiny paw set down on the keyboard, the entire screen glitched, opening programs she never used.

Ymir looked over at Armin, who had finally succeeded with the last bootie on Teddy. “There!” He then looked up and saw her looking at him. “What?”

“The cat did something to the computer. Fix it.”

“Okay.” After he gave Teddy to Eren, Armin got up and went over to where she was seated with Marco and Annie. “Looks like she opened up the terminal.”

“Is that bad?”

“Only if she put something in that would result in deleting data. Just get her off and I can make sure it’s safe.” As he picked the cat off and set he aside, she simply came back as he was about to close it. “No no no no no no!” This time, he gave the cat to Marco. But she still tried to get back to the keyboard.

As soon as Armin closed the program, Pumpkin fell back on the keyboard, opening the browser. “SHIT!!” Before Ymir could do anything, the page immediately opened to the fanart she was looking at earlier. Instantly, she clicked on the exit button to close it.

“… What was that?”

“Nothing you need to know about,” she answered.

The odd silence that came into the room ended with Teddy’s whines. Ymir looked at him and stifled a laugh. The poor mutt was trying to walk, but due to the cosplay themed booties on him, he couldn’t quite figure out what to do and was stumbling around. “Oh my god, that’s funnier than the stairs,” she cackled.

All while whining, Teddy eventually made his way towards Marco. “Awww, Teddy,” Marco cooed as he picked him up and held him. “You don’t like booties, huh? But they look good on you.”

There was a protesting growl and the puppy started to teethe one of the booties in an effort to get it off. “Oh! No! You might choke on it!” Marco started assisting Teddy with removing them, carefully setting them aside. As soon as the last one was off, Teddy started licking his paws.

“Rude,” Izzy said as she looked at the removed booties.

The boy shrank back towards the couch. “Sorry.”

Ymir rolled her eyes before taking the booties. “I can put them in my room for now.” She left the living room and went for the stairs. At the top, she heard Reiner and Bert arguing.

“Reiner, I don’t care how many times you tell me, I’m _not_ going to apologize to him!”

“DAMMIT BERT! YOU’RE BEING A REAL ASSHOLE!”

Ymir raised an eyebrow. They were fighting? That was very rare.

After a few more words were exchanged, she figured she better see what the issue was. She opened the door and saw both of them glaring at each other. “Hey, care to explain what the hollering is all about?”

“Oh thank god someone else came,” Reiner breathed when he saw her. “PLEASE tell Bert he’s being an idiot!”

“Bout what?”

Reiner looked at Bertholdt before back at her. “He tried to pressure Marco into talking about Jean.”

She felt the blood drain from her face, and looked at the taller of the two boys. “Is that true?”

“And if it is?”

Ymir immediately felt disgusted by his response. “Oh not cool Bert,” she snarled. “I don’t think the word idiot is going to be strong enough for this.”

“He has to talk about it eventually!”

Ymir grinded her teeth before she hissed at him again. “Are you saying that because he just happens to be the boyfriend who’s responsible for what happened to Annie so you pick him as your target for taking your anger out on, or would you say it even if he wasn’t?”

Bertholdt didn’t respond.

“Okay, you know what? I’m telling Levi. I’m sure he’d love to sort this out.” With that, she turned out of the room and to the stairs.

-

Levi had finished looking over the papers and handed them back to Erwin. “I suppose you’re heading back now?”

“Got to keep interrogating Nathan until we find out where Jean would go. But if anything else major comes up, I’ll be back.”

There was some noise from the living room again, but this time it was much louder and that made both of them look up.

“Teddy, stoooop!”

Levi groaned as he finally got up and went to where the commotion was, passing Mikasa and Kirsta as they were in the kitchen. Izzy and Armin were trying to stitch something together, and they had the sewing supply all over the place.

Simply put, it was mess.

And right in the center of it, was Teddy tugging on one of the fabrics, ripping it up and leaving stray threads everywhere, all while Marco was struggling to stop him by calling to him, having little success since he was restricted to the couch and his current condition would not allow him to get on the floor without being in pain.

“I see that you found a way to entertain yourself,” He commented, making everyone look at him.

There was the usual whine from Teddy as he immediately bounced to the couch and ducked behind Marco.

“I’m, I’m sorry,” Marco stuttered while cleaning up the mess Teddy made.

“Just as long as everyone cleans up the mess, I can live with it… and put the mutt outside for the rest of the day,” he droned, getting a shocked yelp from the dog for a response.

“Now Levi,” Erwin said as he came over, “I don’t think that will help.”

“Of course you would defend the dog,” Levi sighed. Typical Erwin.

He began to drag Erwin away before he gave any more passes for the damn mutt. “So face recognition programs should be running right now for Nathan, Jean, and Hitch on different websites. If we get any hits that catch our attention, I’ll send you links and I’ll come over asap.”

“Alright. Thank you.” With that, Erwin vanished out the door.

Levi was beginning to go past the stairs to go back to the kitchen, when he saw Ymir coming down the stairs. “Levi, I need to talk to you.”

He raised an eyebrow. This is rare. “What?”

“It’s about Marco. Bertholdt tried pressuring him into talking about Jean. Now he’s being a huge dick and won’t apologize for being insensitive and rude!”

_Oh no, something did happen after all._

“Have you talked to Reiner about it?”

“He asked me to help him with making Bertholdt stop being a fuckboy!”

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before muttering beneath his breath, “I’m going to need so much alcohol for this when we can leave this place.” With that he went to the top of the stairs.

It wasn’t hard to find out which room the boys were in, as they were arguing pretty loudly. Upon entering the room, he knocked on the side of the doorframe, making both of them look at him. “Braun, can you give us a moment?”

“Gladly.” With that, he left the room while glaring at his boyfriend.

Levi fixated his glare on the giant boy who remained. “Now,” he began, “Let’s talk about the apparent attitude you have been directing to Bodt, shall we? Erwin just left, so I have plenty of time, and if I need to, I can call him so he can come back and take you to ANOTHER safe house.”

Bertholdt remained quiet before he started to defend himself. “He should have been aware on some scale that Jean did something to some one else!”

“Well guess what, he didn’t. He’s an honest kid, and there’s no evidence he had anything to do with it either. Want to run a background check yourself just to be sure?”

Bertholdt glanced away. “If he had just been smart enough to realize what a monster his boyfriend was, maybe none of us would be in this damn situation.”

Okay, there was clearly no way to get through him at the moment.

“Alright. You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

-

Dangling a spare ribbon in front of the black kitty, Annie watched as the cat did a backflip to get it. As soon as Pumpkin had it in her mouth, she snatched it away and began to stumble away.

“Guess she’s getting ready to make a stash someplace,” she mused.

“Huh?” She looked over at Eren, who seemed confused. “Stash?”

“Most cats have a hording problem,” Armin told him. “They take what they like and put it in a place only they can get to.”

“Why?”

“No one knows.”

Hearing the cat meow in a fussy way, Annie got up and went to look for her. She found Reiner holding her against his face as Ymir was holding an anime pillow against her face, both groaning.

Annie sighed. “What’s going on?”

Lowering Pumpkin from his face, Reiner looked at her. “Annie, has Bertholdt… seem like a dick at any point?”

By dick, she assumed that he meant when Bertholdt would be stubborn and irrational. He behaved like that with the younger siblings a few time. “A few times,” she answered.

“When?”

“When I’m with…” She paused before realizing that the times where he did seem to be acting different while with her was when she was with Marco. “Did… something happen?”

Reiner and Ymir, who had lowered the anime pillow from her face, looked at each other before Ymir spoke. “Should we tell her?”

“She’s bound to find out eventually, especially since we told Levi.”

Ymir gnawed her upper lip before she returned her attention to Annie. “He tried forcing Marco to talk about Jean. We tried to get him to apologize but he’s refusing.”

Annie felt her body tense when Ymir said Jean’s name. Taking a few deep breaths first, she spoke. “I’ll see if I can talk to him about it later and get him to apologize.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m… disappointed about what Bert did.”

Reiner nodded and gave her a brief pat on the shoulders. “Thanks.”

-

Around night time, Marco was in his room getting changed into his nightwear as he heard Levi and Bertholdt outide.

“THIS IS CORPORAL PUNISHMENT! NOW GO! GET! TO THE COUCH!”

“OW!” There was a loud thud coupled with that.

“Hopefully tomorrow you might actually think of apologizing,” Levi hissed.

Marco fidgeted nervously.

_What exactly is that about?_

He felt Teddy rub himself against his legs as he was sitting on the bed, prompting him to kneel down and pick him up. “Hi,” he cooed as Teddy did is usual nuzzling. “Glad you don’t have booties on?” There was a brief whine at the mention of the booties. “Of course you are.”

He was interrupted when he heard the door open. Annie and Reiner stood there, Rogue being carried in by Flower before set down while Pumpkin was in Annie’s arm. “Hey,” Reiner greeted. “Can we have a moment with you?”

Marco simply nodded, staying quiet. He was dreading they were here for the same reason Bertholdt came in this morning.

Reiner remained standing as Annie went over to the bed to sit down next to Marco. “Marco,” Reiner started, “We know what Bertholdt did earlier, and we apologize for it. He should know better.”

Marco remained quiet, shifting his focus to one to the other.

“Don’t worry, he told Reiner, Reiner told Ymir, and Ymir told Levi, and that’s why he’s sleeping downstairs tonight. If he tries to blame that on you, just let either one of us know,” Annie told him while she gestured to herself and Reiner.

“… Is that really okay for me to do?”

“What do you mean?”

Marco hesitated before talking some more. “Maybe… if I wasn’t so worried about my self… I might have… I could have… realized what he did…” he began to break down right there. “If I wa-wasn’t being so g-goddamn selfish…”

The bed shifted as Annie reached for him and gently pulled his forehead towards hers so they were touching. “Shh, shh, shh,” she hushed, her voice also cracking.

As he continued sobbing, Reiner came over and sank his weight on the other side. “He’s doing it because it’s easier for him to pin the blame on someone close by for everything that’s been going wrong. That doesn’t make it okay, or mean its right.”

Marco wasn’t sure if Reiner was right about anything he was saying, but he didn’t stop him as he and Annie were pulled towards his massive weight.

“… Want us to sleep in the same room with you?”

Marco barely managed to, but nodded.

-

Eren stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of Armin and Izzy snoring. Earlier he was going to check up on Marco, since he had eaten a light dinner for the third night in a row and was getting worried, but heard him crying while Annie and Reiner were in the room he got for tonight.

A while after, he managed to ask Reiner what had happened, and he explained the situation involving Bertholdt basically blaming Marco for Jean not being arrested for what he did to Annie. Thus giving Eren his answer on what happened earlier that made the couple argue.

Eren almost went to kick Bertholdt’s ass, but refrained as he listened to the sounds the giant made while trying to fit on the sofa. Ass kicking could wait for the morning.

Eventually, he began to drift off to the usual sounds.

That is, until he heard the sounds of someone crying quietly.

Eren blinked a few times before he realized who’s voice it was. Marco. He sat up and realized there was a figure sitting on his bed, but couldn’t get a good look of who it was. “Marco, is that you? What’s wrong? Hang on, let me turn on the nightlight.” Eren reached over to the small outlet that was on the wall and switched the tiny light inserted in it on.

When he looked back at the figure, he could have sworn his heart stopped.

“M… Marco?”

The freckled boy was wearing a t-shirt that seemed too large, even for someone his height, and there was no possible way for Eren to tell if he had anything else on from the current angle.

Even if there was, that didn’t stop his cheeks from burning.

“Eren,” Marco sniffled. “I’m lonely~” He then crawled towards him, his eyes shimmering. “Also Bertholdt’s being so mean to me.” He then lowered his head and nudged it against Eren’s chest.

“What? Wait, wait a sec!” He looked over at the other beds, panicking about how to explain this if the other room occupants woke up.

“Eren,” Marco whispered as he gingerly touched Eren’s face to have him look at him again, “Comfort me.”

“… Huh?”

Marco sat upright, still on him, and that was when he began to lift his shirt off.

“WAIT!”

Eren bolted upright, breathing heavily. Marco was nowhere in sight, and it was still dark.

“… Just a dream.”

That would explain why there were those ridiculous anime sparkles and flowers and shit. And as for why it was pink, that would have been the nightlight’s fault, as pink was the color that usually came from it.

He fell back on the bed and groaned in frustration. He then realized that he felt… unusually hard. Quickly sitting back up again, he threw his blankets off, only for the last thing he needed at the moment to be true.

He had a boner, and there was already precum staining the boxers he was in.

“… Oh, this, this is, holy shit” he began to ramble and he got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom, “This is 5000 shades of totally not oaky Eren.” As soon as he was in, he locked the door and slid down to the floor.

He just had a wet dream, with Marco as the objective.

_What the hell is wrong with me?! Having Marco in a wet dream is totally NOT OKAY!!_

Groaning, he managed to change boxers – he kept a spare set in the bathroom with his bathroom kit – before he started his way back to the bedroom and to his bed.

Although, he didn’t get any sleep.

-

Jean drummed his fingers impatiently against the wall. They had managed to dispatch the last of the trucks to their destinations, but the whole thing was taking way too damn long. During all of it, he found out he had a bolo out for him, so he had to dye his hair and wear stupid sunglasses to avoid detection from the public eye. He and a few other members had to hide at a run down motel for the night though.

Finally Hitch came back into the room, going right over to the laptop. “Okay, we’ve reached a few more of our guys and they’re getting ready to make you a new ID, so you can leave for a while before coming back and continue business.”

He snapped his head so he was looking at her. “LEAVE?! ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?! I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE MY CHEATING BOYFRIEND IS AND YOU WANT ME TO JUST LEAVE?!”

“Well what other option is there?! Unless you don’t mind us getting all arrested! I’ve been through the holding in a cell overnight thing, and I have no interest in the maximum edition of what follows!” She turned back to her laptop. “I should have never taken up Dennis and Nathan’s offer when I met them, should have just stuck to servicing myself.”

“… Offer. That’s right.”

Hitch turned her head to face him again. “What?”

“… If I’ve said no that day… when I let you guys play with him… maybe… he would have stayed.” Jean laughed at his realization. “No. Of course he would have stayed. That’s right. It’s not my fault. It’s your fault that we’re in this situation.”

He began to approach her, and watched as she shifted uncomfortably. “Now he’s run off. We’re going to get caught. And…” he reached for his blade in his pocket.

“No… no no!” Hitch immediately bolted to the door, but Jean managed to get her arm and twist it, forcing to the ground.

“You tricked me you bitch. This is your fault.” He raised the blade up, angling it. “Your fault. YOUR FAULT!”

He then plunged the blade into her chest , making sure it was deep before raising it again.

“YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOURS YOURS YOURS!”

By the time he stopped stabbing her, she was dead. He stood up and stared at his work.

“… Just like mom… Just like dad… Gotta hide the body… suit case. That will work. Take it with me on the way out then throw it away.” He turned around, and his eye caught the light from the computer.

He went over to it and opened it to one of his client’s webpages. Where there were a bunch of porn pictures that were uploaded anonymously. He then spotted the file on the desktop and clicked on it, showing the sum of pictures that were taken that day of Marco.

“... Revenge porn is nothing new,” he told himself as he saw the submission link. “This will draw him and that freak out. And I’ll be ready…” But before he started the submission, he quickly opened another page and typed in the search bar “healing abilities”.

After a bit of searching, he found one result that caught his eye.

“Children with accelerated healing, learn the truth about Titans.”

Figuring it was worth the look, he clicked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify, I was going to make Bert an ass in this chapter before the new chapter came out. It seems more logical to me because when Armin was telling Bert and Reiner that Annie was being tortured in the manga, his reaction seemed like someone who would do what he did in this chapter. Of course, I'm equally mad at Reiner...
> 
> MARCO MY CINNAMON ROLL WHY MUST BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO U?
> 
> but basically the drawings were a coping mechanism =w=;  
> lemme know if the drawing are ok; there were two more i posted but i wasn't sure if they fit in ^^; lemme know if you want to see them ^^


	28. Chapter 28

Hello, it's me.

So, it's been a while since this story has updated, and will continue to be a while.

Reasons?

This year has sucked. Big time. And my dad and I are not on very good terms, due to recent events.

I am close to finishing my first degree, so school has taken priority over writing/casual activity. But after I finish the first degree I will be trying to pursue a second one, and I feel I will probably have to pay for that by myself completely, so I've recently taken up a new job to save up. And to get away from my home life.

I have been trying to save my mental health with drawing, which seems to be working better than writing, but its taking up most of my free time.

And I'm no longer as into the SNK fandom as I was two years ago.

With all that said however, I fully intend to finish this story, with about 5 more chapters.

I would like to thank whoever has kept waiting so far for more of this story.

Until next time (whenever that is).

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Through The Rabbit Hole](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1679333) by [WhatDoYouMeanIts1amAlready](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatDoYouMeanIts1amAlready/pseuds/WhatDoYouMeanIts1amAlready)
  * [I'll Wait for You in Heaven](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4130526) by [Total_Awesomesauce (Total_Fangirl)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Total_Fangirl/pseuds/Total_Awesomesauce)




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